Other Workshops
Walter Bosse (1904-1979)
Vienna Bronze by Bermann
Carl Auböck Workshop
Walter Bosse graduated from the Viennese School for applied arts, where such famous artists as Franz Cizek and Michael Powolny were among his teachers. Under the direction of Josef Hoffmann he designed ceramics for the Wiener Werkstätte. In the 1920’s and 30’s he worked for well-known factories like Goldscheider, Augarten or Metzler+Ortloff. Additionally Walter Bosse designed for his own ceramic workshop which he founded 1919 in Kufstein. A sales store for these objects existed in the Viennese Hotel Bristol. As a consequence of the economic recession he was forced to close his workshop in 1937.
After World War II he moved to Germany and designed, mainly for the Federal Majolikafactory Karlsruhe, numerous figures of animals made of ceramic. Those objects became very popular in the 1950’s and 60’s. At this time he started to develop animal miniatures of the so-called Black-Golden Line. It was an innovative line of small brass animals that were patinated in black, with polished brass shining through the black patina in several areas. Walter Bosse died in 1979, but his designs of small brass miniatures are still in production.
The history of the original Vienna or Wiener Bronze made by the Bermann Company
Charming testimonies to the passion of collecting, Viennese tradition and culture of giving, elegant, grotesque and magic copies of Fashion, fantasy and the genius of the period en detail. These little statues have managed to slip from the 19th century and the early 20th century into our modern life.
The Wiener Bronzen were created in the epoch of the Biedermeier where the self-confident bourgeois developed a new culture of living and social life. Very soon the Wiener Bronzen were considered as show-pieces in cupboards, luxurious toys and charming presents. Every apartment of the Wiener Ringstraße with its splendid furniture demanded for representative pieces of décor and commodity.
Mathias Bermann founded the manufactory in the year 1850 in Hernals near Vienna. He began with the production of metal decoration for pipes and started to manufacture animal figures made of bronze. During the World Exhibition in the year 1873 a certificate of recognition for his products was given to him by the Austrian government. Fritz Bermann took over the company in 1927. He had innumerable models being created in cooperation with Viennese sculptors and modellers. The models survived undamaged World War II in the cellar of his house which had been completely destroyed.
Today the Bermann Wiener Bronzen are produced exactly the same way as they were produced in the epoch of the Biedermeier where the Wiener Kunsthandwerk had achieved its best performance. That expresses that with every item of our production you do not only get a piece of splendid tradition of handicraft but also a piece of Viennese history.
The Viennese painter and designer Carl Auböck II was one of the most remarkable artists in Austria. After his versatile education in his family workshop (1914-17), in the University of Visual Arts (1917-19) and as a student of Johannes Itten, he took over the family business in 1926. The Auböck workshop was located in Bernardgasse 23. In the early 1940s, Carl Auböck II developed a unique style for his products which made him famous in Austria and in other countries. He achieved a highlight in his career at the Milan Triennale 1954, where he won four gold medals for his designs.
After his death his son Carl Auböck III (1924–1993) and his wife Justine continued the company. This included mainly the design, production and distribution of the products. Carl Auböck III completed his studies of architecture in Vienna and the USA which becomes visible in many of his creations that show an influence of the “Industrial Design”. In 1977 he became professor at the University of Applied Arts. Beside his constant international engagement for architecture, design and product development he created thousands of new models for the product line of his workshop. During this period his workshop reputation climbed up to a production company of international standing. In the following decades Auböck Design was offered at the best addresses (Tiffany, Saks, Harrods) in all important cities. After the death of Carl Auböck III in 1993 his successors Maria and Carl Auböck IV continued the work of their father and run the Auböck workshop. Today the same machines in the same premises are used to manufacture Auböck original designs.