Bruno Zach (6 May 1891 – 20 February 1935) was an Austrian art deco sculptor of Ukrainian birth who worked in the early-to-mid 20th century. His output included a wide repertoire of genre subjects, however he is best known for his

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

sculptures of young women.

Early life

Bruno Zach was born in

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, a ...

, Ukraine, on 6 May 1891. He emigrated to Austria as a young man and studied at the

Vienna Academy The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

under sculptors

Hans Bitterlich Hans Bitterlich (28 April 1860, Vienna - 5 August 1949, Vienna) was an Austrian sculptor. Life and work His father was the sculptor and history painter, Eduard Bitterlich. He studied with Edmund von Hellmer and Kaspar von Zumbusch, and was a ...

(1860–1949) and Josef Müllner (1879–1968). His styles ranged from art deco,

art nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

, sporting, to

orientalism In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...

. His oeuvre would generally be considered decorative if not for his success in producing erotic sculpture.

Career

Zach became a prolific creator of sculptures featuring tall, athletic, dominating women in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and ivory, the combination of the two in art casting sometimes being referred to as “ chryselephantine”. He most often signed as "B. Zach" or "Bruno Zach", however a number of his pieces were signed with his pseudonyms, being "Prof. Tuch", "Professor Tuch" or "K. Salat".Simpson Galleries
Auction 22.02.2015, Lot 272 His erotica sculptures usually featured sexy, dreamy, scantily clad mistresses in stockings,

garters A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking ...

, and high heels. One of his better known sculptures is the sado-masochistic '' The Riding Crop''. Original period castings of this sculpture have sold for as much as $151,849, one such sale having taken place at the Bonhams auction house in Knightsbridge on 23 November 2011. According to Bonhams' director of decorative arts, Mark Oliver, "the demand for his work just grows and grows". One of Zach's more controversial sculptures, created circa 1930, was his extremely erotic piece entitled ''The Hugger''. The sculpture depicts a woman hugging a larger-than-life penis. Zach frequently portrayed the seedy side of nightlife in Berlin with many of his sculptures which often featured

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

. His bronze sculptures were generally fired and coated with chemical patinas in mid-brown colors but were sometimes cold painted or polychromed. His used ivory, sparingly, and it was generally well carved. Zach's work was edited by several firms, including Argentor-Werke (Vienna), Broma Companie, S. Altmann and Company, and Franz Bergmann.

Death

Zach died in Vienna, Austria, on 20 February 1935.

References

Literature

* Davenport's Art Reference & Price Guide, 2007/2008 Edition – . * Romeo and Juliet in Zhytomyr words, 2016

* Житомирська сторінка кохання скульптора Бруно Зака

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zach, Bruno Austrian sculptors Austrian male sculptors Art Deco sculptors 1891 births 1935 deaths Artists from Zhytomyr People from Volhynian Governorate Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Austria-Hungary 20th-century sculptors Fetish artists Ukrainian male sculptors