Maximilian Florian

Maximilian Florian first took drawing lessons with Albert Zahlbruckner in his hometown Klagenfurt. From 1916 until 1918, he trained as a goldsmith. The painter Ernst Riederer recognized and promoted his talent. From 1922 to 1930, Maximilian Florian was a scholarship holder at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. His teachers were K. Sterrer and R. Bacher. From 1938 to 1945, his painting was considered to be degenerate art. Maximilian Florian was a member of the Vienna Secession between 1945 and 1960, and in 1946 he was a founding member of the artists' association "Der Kreis" in Vienna. Under the influence of R. Teschner, he was engaged in puppet theater and designed figures and stage sets. Maximilian Florian received the State Prize for graphic arts in 1935 and the Gold Medal from Jerusalem in 1967. In the same year, Florian and his daughter Henriette had an exhibition in the Slama Gallery in Klagenfurt. He also took part in the first art exhibition after World War II at the Würthle Gallery in Vienna and in various exhibitions in Europe and the USA from 1946 to 1956. Maximilian Florian painted landscapes, still lifes, figure compositions and portraits and especially dealt with the art of H. Boeckl, whose "expressive realism" had a lasting influence on him. He also created sculptures and tapestry devoted to religious subjects and decorated by Pope Paul VI. for his monumental work "Die Auserwählten des Lebens" (The Last Supper). His works can be found in the Austrian Belvedere Gallery, the Albertina, the Carinthian State Museum, the Lower Austrian State Museum and the New Gallery in Graz. The artist died in Klosterneuburg in 1982.