Franz Karl Delavilla (6 December 1884 – 2 August 1967) was an Austrian-German graphic artist, illustrator, designer and art professor.

Education

Born in Vienna, Delavilla first received a one-year apprenticeship at the and then was a pupil at the K.K. Technical College for Textile Industry Vienna from 1901 to 1903. In 1903, he won the 1st prize for the best work in drawing at the competition of the 'Niederösterreichischer Gewerbeverein'. From 1903 to 1908, he was a state scholarship holder at the

University of Applied Arts Vienna The University of Applied Arts Vienna (german: Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, or informally just ''Die Angewandte'') is an arts university and institution of higher education in Vienna, the capital of Austria. It has had university sta ...

of the K.K. Austrian Museum of Art and Industry, where he was taught by

Carl Otto Czeschka Carl Otto Czeschka (22 October 1878, Vienna – 30 July, 1960, Hamburg) was an Austrian painter and graphic designer associated with the Wiener Werkstätte. Life Carl Otto Czeschka was half Bohemian and half Moravian origin. His father Wenzel ...

and

Bertold Löffler Bertold Löffler (28 September 1874, Liberec — 23 March 1960, Vienna) was an Austrian painter, printmaker, and designer. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Further reading * Kehl-Baie ...

, among others. From 1907, he got first commissions for applied arts and from the same year he worked at the "

Wiener Werkstätte The Wiener Werkstätte (engl.: ''Vienna Workshop''), established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria that bro ...

", a production association of visual artists, which existed from 1904 until 1932. Designs for jewellery, fashion, stage designs, posters, cards for various occasions and the illustration of books were his metier. From 1908, the workshop held an annual art show, where Delavilla's works were also shown.

Teaching activity until 1944

In 1908/09, Delavilla held a teaching post at the and from 1909 to 1913, at the

University of Fine Arts of Hamburg The ''Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK Hamburg)'' is the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg. It dates to 1767, when it was called the ''Hamburger Gewerbeschule''; later it became known as ''Landeskunstschule Hamburg''. The main build ...

. From 1913 to 1920, he was head of the class for "free graphics and surface art" at the school of arts and crafts of the Mitteldeutsche Kunstgewerbeverein of the in Frankfurt. In 1914, he was awarded the "Goldenen Preis" of the International Exhibition for Book Trade and Graphics in Leipzig and in the same year he participated in the Werkbund Exhibition in Cologne. From 1917 until 1933, Delavilla worked as a part-time scenic designer in Frankfurt and Darmstadt. In 1919, he was also a member of the

Dresden Secession The Dresdner Sezession (Dresden Secession) was an art group aligned with German Expressionism founded by Otto Schubert, Conrad Felixmüller and his pupil Otto Dix in Dresden, during a period of political and social turmoil in the aftermath of Wor ...

. In 1922, he became a teacher at the

Städelschule The Städelschule (), Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, is a tertiary school of art in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It accepts about 20 students each year from 500 applicants, and has a total of approximately 150 students of visual a ...

in Frankfurt and led the lithography class. In 1923, he was appointed professor. In 1936, he and his colleagues Hugo Bäppler and Albert Windisch accepted a commission from the

Ministry of the Reichswehr The Ministry of the Reichswehr or Reich Ministry of Defence (german: Reichswehrministerium) was the defence ministry of the Weimar Republic and the early Third Reich. The 1919 Weimar Constitution provided for a unified, national ministry of defen ...

and designed with a class common rooms of the newly built Olympisches Dorf in Berlin. For this design with ''Merkbilder'' of the German landscape, he and his group received an ''Olympic Medal'' from Adolf Hitler.Hubert Salden (ed.): Die Städelschule Frankfurt am Main 1817 bis 1995. Hermann Schmidt, Mainz 1995, , In 1943, he took part in the exhibition in Vienna, organised by Reichsleiter

Baldur von Schirach Baldur Benedikt von Schirach (9 May 1907 – 8 August 1974) was a German politician who is best known for his role as the Nazi Party national youth leader and head of the Hitler Youth from 1931 to 1940. He later served as ''Gauleiter'' and ''Re ...

and thus came under the criticism of conservative Nazi circles. In 1944, he was released into early retirement.

Post-war activity

During World War II, Delavilla's Frankfurt studio with many of his works burned down. Awards which he had received during the Nazi era prevented his application for

Wiedergutmachung The German word ''Wiedergutmachung'' after World War II refers to the reparations that the German government agreed to pay in 1953 to the direct survivors of the Holocaust, and to those who were made to work at forced labour camps or who othe ...

after the war. In 1946, he was reinstated as professor at the Städelschule and retired for good in 1950. In 1955, he was awarded the

Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

. In 1959, he was awarded the and the

Goethe-Plakette des Landes Hessen Goethe-Plakette (Goethe Plaque) is the highest award by the Hessian Ministry for Science and the Arts of the federal state of Hesse, Germany, named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It has been awarded since 1949 at irregular intervals. The award ...

. Delavilla died in Frankfurt at the age of 82. His grave is located on the

Frankfurt Main Cemetery The Frankfurt Main Cemetery (German: ''Hauptfriedhof'') is the largest cemetery in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was opened in 1828. The cemetery is located directly adjacent to two Jewish cemeteries—the Old Jewish Cemetery, F ...

. In 2004, the Kronberg Gallery exhibited some of his works.

Publications

* Arthur Roessler: ''Der Dialog vom Pierrot und andere Essays'', Vienna: Karl Graeser

907 __NOTOC__ Year 907 ( CMVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Rus'–Byzantine War: Varangian prince Oleg of Novgorod leads the ...

(Umschlag/Titelbild von Delavilla) * ''Des Freiherrn von Münchhausen Abenteuer und Reisen''; newly edited by Alois Th. Schlagbrandtner. Buchschmuck von Franz K. Delavilla, Vienna: Graeser & Kie., ca. 1910 * ''Unser Hamburg''. Ed. by the Journalists' and Writers' Association for Hamburg, Altona and the surrounding area. With book decoration by F. K. Delavilla, Hamburg 1911, 116 p. (auch weitere Auflagen) * ''Kriegsbilderbogen Deutscher Künstler'', Mappe III, Munich: Goltz-Verlag 1915 * ''Die Reise zum Meer''. fairy tales by and headpieces by F. K. Delavilla, Weimar: Kiepenheuer 1915, 95 p. * Gottfried Gurcke: ''Hamburger Fibel bearbeitet von W.Böhling, J.Spiering und A.Winckler. Pictures byF. K. Delavilla. Schreibschrift von Chr.Seemann'', 244. neubearbeitete Auflage, Hamburg: Otto Meißner, 1917 * ''Deutsche Bühne. Jahrbuch der Frankfurter Städtischen Bühnen''. Edited by Georg J. Plotke on behalf of the Generalintendanz . Vol. 1: Spielzeit 1917/1918. Mit 6 (1 farb.) Taf. (m. Bühnenbild-Entwürfen v. Delavilla u. a.) u. 7 Abb. im Text, Frankfurt: Rütten & Loening 1919, 4 vol., 402 p. * Clara Berg: ''Schnurli-Butzli und andere deutsche Märchen mit Bildern K. F. Delavilla'', Frankfurt: Englert und Schlosser, 20.–30. Tausend, ca. 1925, 123 p. * : ''Bundschuh flieg! Ein Zeitbild vom großen Bauernaufstand im Jahre 1525''. With pictures by F. K. Delavilla, Stuttgart: Loewe 1936, 3rd edition 1942

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delavilla, Franz Karl Austrian illustrators German illustrators Wiener Werkstätte Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1884 births 1967 deaths Artists from Vienna Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to Germany