Hans Gasser (18171868) was an Austrian painter and sculptor. His name is sometimes spelled Hanns, and he was baptized as Johann. He shortened his name to avoid confusion with a now-forgotten Tyrolean artist who was also named Johann Gasser.Heinrich Hermann: ''Handbuch der Geschichte des Herzogthumes Kärnten in Vereinigung mit den österreichischen Fürstenthümern''. Vol.3, Klagenfurt 1860

Life and work

His father, Jakob, was a Master carpenter. His older brother,

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, also became a sculptor. He was originally a

wood carver Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

then, in 1838, thanks to the patronage of a local nobleman, he was able to go to Vienna, where he enrolled at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

. His first studies were with the painter, . Later, he switched to sculpture, under the tutelage of Josef Klieber and Joseph Käßmann (1784–1856). During his time there, he was awarded several prizes. From 1842 to 1846, he lived in Munich, where he worked with Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld,

Wilhelm von Kaulbach Wilhelm von Kaulbach (15 October 18057 April 1874) was a German painter, noted mainly as a muralist, but also as a book illustrator. His murals decorate buildings in Munich. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Biography E ...

and

Ludwig Schwanthaler Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler, later ennobled as Ritter von Schwanthaler (26 August 1802 – 14 November 1848), was a German sculptor who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. Biography Schwanthaler was born in Munich. His family had been ...

. Most of his commissions came from private parties. In 1848, he took part in the Austrian Revolutions. For a short period, from 1850 to 1851, he was a professor at the Vienna Academy, but he disliked teaching and resigned. This was followed by many unsettled years of wandering, during which he worked on commissions, public and private, in numerous European cities. Many were executed quickly, and some critics believe they were done carelessly as well. Eventually, he possessed enough wealth to buy a house with a garden in Vienna's

Margareten Margareten (; bar, Magredn) is the fifth district of Vienna (german: 5. Bezirk, Margareten). It is near the old town of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later.Limoges enamel Limoges enamel has been produced at Limoges, in south-western France, over several centuries up to the present. There are two periods when it was of European importance. From the 12th century to 1370 there was a large industry producing metal o ...

s, carpets, embroidery, metal, glass, and copper engravings. They were piled up in complete disorder, together with junk; making him what would now be called a "hoarder". Although he showed great moderation when it came to his physical needs, this obsessive collecting led to his financial situation becoming comparably disordered. Deeply in debt, he was rescued by a group of art lovers who ordered his affairs and sold the largest part of his property. After that, he returned to collecting, in a more organized manner. Upon his death, 397 art objects of his own creation and 834 assorted works of art were auctioned off. Some were acquired by public collections. A street in Vienna was named in his honor in 1875. A class steam engine was also named after him, presumably in recognition of his constant travelling. There is a "Hanns-Gasser-Platz" in

Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the po ...

References

External links

"Die Wiener Fassadenplastiken Hanns Gassers"
by Erzsébet Kóré, Master's thesis,

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gasser, Hans 1817 births 1868 deaths People from Spittal an der Drau 19th-century Austrian painters 19th-century Austrian male artists Austrian male painters

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links