FRANZ WEISS (1921–2014) Life and Achievement of an Eminent Austrian Artist Franz Weiss, Self-portrait, oil painting on wood, Franz Weiss, Portrait by Toni Hafner, oil painting on 1947 canvas, 1982 1 1921 Jan. 18, born in Soedingberg, Province of Styria, as the fifth of seven children of Vinzenz and Anna Weiss 1924 The family settles in Hochtregist, Tregisttal, Baernbach 1932 Franz Weiss at the age of eleven 1938–1941 Attended the Graz College of Fine Arts, specialising in sculpture (wood and stone), student of Werner Seidl and Wilhelm Goesser 1940 One of the earliest watercolor paintings, “Graz, Fall 1940” 2 1941–1945 Compulsory military service in Crete, Russia, and Italy F. Neuburger, Piräus, 1941 Russian children 1943 Cassino, 1944 1945–1946 Returned to College of Fine Arts at Graz, studies in sculpture (wood and stone) with Alexander Silveri Life-size figure fashioned in plaster by students of the Graz College of Fine Arts, modelled on Sketch for a Christmas crib, shown the original design by 1947–1950 at the parish church of Franz Weiss Baernbach 1946 First art works of Franz Weiss purchased by the Neue Galerie at the Museum Joanneum, Graz, exhibition “Young Artists” Scenery from the Enns river valley, drawing with gold pencil, ca. 1946 3 1946–1948 Graz College of Fine Arts, master class for decorative painting, student of Prof. Rudolf Szyszkowitz 1948 Earliest retrievable reserve glass paintings: The Good Shepherd, Berry Blossoms 1948–1951 Graz College of Fine Arts, master class for decorative painting directed by Prof. Albert Paris Guetersloh and Herbert Boeckl 1950 Designs for the celebratory altars of the Styrian “Katholikentag” (gathering organised by the Roman Catholic laity in German-speaking countries), Graz 1950 Earliest woodcut, card for Christmas and New Year Compliments 4 1951 Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna Evening classes in nude painting taught by Herbert Boeckl “Boeckl spoke spontaneously, completely free and loosely, depending on the situation. He was a devout Christian, he spoke of the holy, sublime spirit that had to pervade the work of art and all that is to be created, and of divine transformations. He wanted to emphasise the visionary, not the figure, the nude that appears in the flesh as a human being, but in the mystery behind it. … ” (F. Weiss on 12/5/1999) Reclining nude, water color painting, 1957 Neue Galerie am Universalmuseum Joanneum, Graz 1951 First public commission: Warriors memorial in Graden near Köflach, Voitsberg District 5 1952 Founding member of “Werkbund”, an association of Styrian artists 1953 “Bread” cycle Eight red chalk drawings, depicting the way of the bread from the ploughman at work to the distribution of the loaf “Ears and Harrow”. Collection of Cultural History, Univer- salmuseum Joanneum, Graz. Cover motifs of the “Ears and Harrow” folder 6 1953 First design for an entire altar: Reverse glass painting, wood sculpture, relief carving, private chapel of the Catholic Academy in Mariatrost, near Graz 1954 First design of a church interior, Steinbach am Ziehberg, Upper Austria Altar, oil painting on wood Ceiling painting 7 1956 First work in mosaic, Warriors Memorial, St. Martin am Woellmissberg, Voitsberg District 1958 First major commission for (ten) stained glass windows, Heiligenkreuz, Burgenland 1958 First solo exhibition, Regner’s bookshop, Graz, sixty-four exhibits “For me, Professor Rudolf Szyszkowitz was a com- bination of teacher, father, friend, and mentor: I owe him very much” (Franz Weiss) Styrian Sunday church paper, No. 12/58 1959 Altar painting on canvas for the Corpus Christi celebration in the center of Graz 8 1960–1962 Second period of studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna 1961 First piece of copper art, church entrance at Glojach, Styria 1962 Diploma project “Ironworking – Trade – Farmer”, mural painting, mosaic, Vogl residence, Voitsberg 1963 Diploma “Academically Qualified Painter”, issued by Fine Arts Academy, Vienna Franz Weiss as a student in Vienna, 1962 9 1963 Carved stone, bas-relief, column commemorating Styrian author Hans Kloepfer, Eibiswald, Southern Styria 1965 First enamels on copper, funerary monument for martyr priest Heinrich Dalla Rosa, St. Georgen near Obdach, Styria Center: Enamel Left and right: Secco painting, 1992, in cooperation with Sepp Steurer 1967 First solo exhibition with catalogue, Franz Weiss in companionship of Wilfried Skreiner, “Encounter with Crea- tion” at the Steiermärkische Bank 1968 Awarded the Pontifical Order of Pope St. Sylvester 1975–2000 Visiting Professor for Wood cut as well as Reverse Glass and Watercolor Painting at the Catholic Academy of Augsburg, Bavaria 10 1977–2007 Visiting Professor for Reverse Glass Painting at Cusanus Academy, Brixen/Bressanone and Tainach (Carin- thia). More than 400 basic designs for projects in this context 1979 Received honorary title of “Professor”, bestowed on artists of outstanding merit by the Federal President of Austria 1985 Painted coffin for Professor Hanns Koren, chairman of the Styriain Landtag, in preparation of his funeral 1986–1992 Designes and artistic furnishing for the village chapel in Tregist, “Mary, Untier of Knots”, a Gesamtkunstwerk integrating various techniques, Baernbach, Tregist Valley Altar consisting of reverse glass painted panels 11 1988 Firsts art book “Franz Weiss. Eine Künstlermonographie”, edited by Ernst Lasnik (Voitsberg) 1995–1996 Christmas Season Crib Village at Tregist, six small architectural units 1996 Awarded the Province of Styria’s Ring of Honor, presented by Governor Dr. Josef Krainer 1999–2014 Joachim Cardinal Meissner, the prestigious Archbishop of Cologne, uses designs by Franz Weiss for his an- nual Christmas Greetings cards sent to colleagues all over the world (except in 2009 and 2012) 1999 Among several other artists, Franz Weiss exhibits works of his in the “Austrian Millennium Show” in New York City, organised by Haus Koestenberger Gallery, Obdach, Styria Warhol Superstar Ultra Violet and Other Surprises at Montserrat Gallery … G. Brandner, F. Cibulka, A. Köstenberger, P. Leitner, G. Zens, H. Zens. A photograph from “Vernissage” … Right: “New York Times”, “Gallery & Studio”, Section, January, on February, 2000 –Lawrence Downes 12 2000 Ruth Trigler publishes her master’s thesis (in German) on Franz Weiss as watercolour painter during the 1940–1999 period in the context of contemporary Austrian watercolor painting, a survey of 1426 paintings in 2 vols. with a 368-page catalogue raisonnè 2001 Honorary Ring of the Town of Baernbach, Honorary Ring in gold of the Catholic Parish of Voitsberg 2003 Completion of a topographical catalogue raisonnè of works of public art by Franz Weiss. Published as “Ar- beiten im öffentlichen Raum”, 2003, “Wagnis der Schlichtheit”, 2010, with a chronological index of “Sakrale & Profane Werke” (‘Sacral and Secular Works’), 2008 2004 Foundation of the non-profit association ”Freunde Franz Weiß im Imma Waid-Haus“, Mariazell, formal seat at Imma Waid House, Mariazell (Austria’s principal catholic pilgrimage center) 2005 The town council of Mariazell honors the artist by renaming the lower section of Franz Schubert Gasse “Franz Weiss Weg”. A private gallery is established at Imma Waid House 2005 The exhibition “Sixty Years after the End of World War Two – Fifty Years Austrian Independance Treaty – Ten Years of Austrian Membership in the EU” devots a special section to “Church and Religion in Styria, 1945– 2005”; it is shown at the Arts Gallery of the Benedictine Abbey at Admont, Styria, and Franz Weiss is one of the contributing artists 2005 Awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Archievement in Sciences and Arts by Federal Chancellor Wolf- gang Schüssel 13 2006 Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne, accompanied by Egon Kapellari, Bishop of the Diocesis of Graz-Seckau, Dean Dr. Erich Linhardt, and retired Dean Engelbert Buc honor the artist by visiting him at his home 2006 Christmas postage stamp depicting the Holy Family in front of the town of Voitsberg painted by Franz Weiss, issued by the Austrian Postal Services, circulation 5 million 2007 Last visit to Brixen/Bressanone as Guest Professor. Last woodcut (no. 408 in the catalogue raisonnè of the artist’s woodcuts), dedicated to this “beautiful town of flowers”. Artist and followers are honored by the town council holding a reception. Photograph showing Konrad Obexer, Town Mayor Albert Pürgstaller, the artist, and gallery owner Jakob Kompatscher 2007 Signing his last wayside shrine in Glein, Ofneralm Between 1953 and 2007, Franz Weiss created eighty-seven wayside shrines (as of 1992 collaborating with Sepp Steurer), appplying se- veral techniques and using various materials in this branch of com- posite fine art 14 2008 Exhibition of works by Franz Weiss and some of his teachers and contemporaries (Werner Augustiner, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Franz Rogler, Karl Stark) at the Styrian Museum of Fire Fighters in Gross St. Florian. Inauguration by Austrian Minister of Economic Affairs Martin Bartenstein For the first time, works of his companions – among them Werner Augustiner, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Franz Rogler, and Karl Stark – are shown in such a context. Also for the first time, works by all of his teachers are contextualised within such a framework, including superb pieces by Herbert Boeckl, Wilhelm Gösser, Albert Paris Gütersloh, Alexander Silveri, and Rudolf Szys- kowitz. Altogether, the exhibition includes more than 100 works, a representative sample from all kinds of techniques provided by 25 lenders, among them the