Alfred Hrdlicka

Alfred Hrdlicka (German pronunciation: [ˌalfʁeːt ˈhʁdlɪtʃka]; 27 February 1928 in Vienna – 5 December 2009) was an Austrian sculptor, draughtsman, painter and artist. His surname is sometimes written Hrdlička.

After learning to be a dental technician from 1943 to 1945, Hrdlicka studied painting until 1952 at the Akademie der bildenden Künste under Albert Paris Gütersloh and Josef Dobrowsky. Afterwards he studied sculpture until 1957 under Fritz Wotruba. In 1960 he had his first exhibition in Vienna; in 1964 he attained international attention as a representative of Austria at the Venice Biennale, Italy.

In 2008, his new religious work about the Apostles, Religion, Flesh and Power, attracted criticism about its homoerotic theme. The exhibition was housed in the museum of the St. Stephen's Cathedral of Vienna. He taught many sculptors, such as Hans Sailer, Angela Laich and others.

Hrdlicka was a talented chess player. In 1953 Austria sent him to participate in the Student World Championship in Brussels.

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