Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736 - 1783)

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736 - 1783) - photo 1

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt was an 18th-century Austrian sculptor. He is known as a master of the grotesque and caricature. Messerschmidt became famous after his death. During his lifetime his contemporaries considered him at best an extravagant freak, and at worst mentally ill, although no documentary evidence of the sculptor's mental illnesses has yet been found.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt was an adherent of Classicism at the initial stage of his work. But then the artist decisively abandoned the principles of classical art. He became famous for making a large series of busts, which the sculptor himself called "heads". The faces of the characters in these works are distorted by all kinds of grimaces and display vivid human emotions. All in all Messerschmidt managed to produce more than 50 heads, which during his lifetime did not arouse the interest of potential customers.

In January 2005, the Louvre acquired one of the "heads" at an auction Sotheby's for a record price of 4 800 000 U.S. dollars.

Date and place of birt:6 february 1736, Wiesensteig, Germany
Date and place of death:19 august 1783, Bratislava, Slovakia
Nationality:Austria, Germany, Slovakia
Period of activity: XVIII century
Specialization:Artist, Portraitist, Sculptor
Genre:Portrait sculpture, Portrait
Art style:Classicism

Creators Austria

Karl Otto Cheshka (1878 - 1960)
Karl Otto Cheshka
1878 - 1960
Kiki Kogelnik (1935 - 1997)
Kiki Kogelnik
1935 - 1997
Arik Brauer (1929 - 2021)
Arik Brauer
1929 - 2021
Gabriele Maria Deininger-Arnhard (1855 - 1945)
Gabriele Maria Deininger-Arnhard
1855 - 1945
Heinrich Golpein (1814 - 1888)
Heinrich Golpein
1814 - 1888
Maximilian Lenz (1860 - 1948)
Maximilian Lenz
1860 - 1948
Anton Faistauer (1887 - 1930)
Anton Faistauer
1887 - 1930
Friedrich August Brand (1735 - 1806)
Friedrich August Brand
1735 - 1806
Martin von Molitor (1759 - 1812)
Martin von Molitor
1759 - 1812
Carl Goebel (1824 - 1899)
Carl Goebel
1824 - 1899
Otto Prutscher (1880 - 1949)
Otto Prutscher
1880 - 1949
Heinrich von Angeli (1840 - 1925)
Heinrich von Angeli
1840 - 1925
Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)
Gustav Mahler
1860 - 1911
Gustav Gaul (1836 - 1888)
Gustav Gaul
1836 - 1888
Daniel Israel (1859 - 1901)
Daniel Israel
1859 - 1901
Anton Feistauer (1887 - 1930)
Anton Feistauer
1887 - 1930

Creators Classicism

Helena Skirmunt (1827 - 1874)
Helena Skirmunt
1827 - 1874
Jean de La Bruyère (1645 - 1696)
Jean de La Bruyère
1645 - 1696
Edward Henry Berge (1876 - 1924)
Edward Henry Berge
1876 - 1924
Aleksander Kokular (1793 - 1846)
Aleksander Kokular
1793 - 1846
Alfred Morgan (1836 - 1924)
Alfred Morgan
1836 - 1924
Charles Marion Russell (1864 - 1926)
Charles Marion Russell
1864 - 1926
 Voltaire (1694 - 1778)
Voltaire
1694 - 1778
Heinrich Iser (1869 - 1932)
Heinrich Iser
1869 - 1932
Jean-Victor Adam (1801 - 1867)
Jean-Victor Adam
1801 - 1867
André-Joseph Allar (1845 - 1926)
André-Joseph Allar
1845 - 1926
Antoine Rivalz (1667 - 1735)
Antoine Rivalz
1667 - 1735
Jean-Pierre Rivalz I (1625 - 1706)
Jean-Pierre Rivalz I
1625 - 1706
John Talbott Donoghue (1854 - 1903)
John Talbott Donoghue
1854 - 1903
Jacques Stella (1596 - 1657)
Jacques Stella
1596 - 1657
Antonio Gómez Cros (1809 - 1863)
Antonio Gómez Cros
1809 - 1863
Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684)
Pierre Corneille
1606 - 1684
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