284 - Ernst Huber* (Vienna 1895 - 1960 Vienna)

Ernst Huber* (Vienna 1895 - 1960 Vienna) Flower still life on chest reverse glass painting 23 x 14 cm monogrammed E H SCHÄTZPREIS / ESTIMATE € 800 - 1600 STARTPREIS / STARTING PRICE € 800 Ernst Huber, an Austrian graphic artist and landscape painter, initially trained as a typesetter and worked as a typesetter and lithographer before turning to painting—largely as a self-taught artist. His first exhibition successes came in 1919 when Josef Hoffmann discovered his work in the Palm House in the Burggarten and, through the mediation of the sculptor Gustinus Ambrosi, introduced him to the artists' group of the Kunstschau (Vienna Art Show). There, Huber came into contact with representatives of Viennese Modernism and met important painters such as Herbert Boeckl, Anton Faistauer, Oskar Kokoschka, Anton Kolig, and Franz Wiegele, whose expressive approach to color significantly influenced his further development. In 1920, Huber became a member of the Hagenbund, one of the most progressive Viennese artists' associations of the interwar period, and later also joined the group Die Sieben (The Seven), which stood for a modern style of painting influenced by both tradition and the avant-garde. In 1932, he joined the Vienna Secession, thus definitively elevating himself to the circle of leading figures in Austrian art of his time. Simultaneously, Huber was associated with the Zinkenbach artists' colony and maintained close friendships with Ferdinand Kitt, Franz von Zülow, Josef Dobrowsky, Georg Ehrlich, Georg Merkel, as well as Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel and Sergius Pauser, with whom he shared a focus on both Impressionist landscapes and modern figure composition. Huber's oeuvre is dominated by landscapes, his early work primarily featuring motifs from Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and the Salzkammergut region, which he captured in luminous, often atmospherically vibrant paintings. His painting style oscillates between Expressionism and Impressionist approaches to nature, achieving a unique balance between character study and decorative surface effect, particularly in portraiture and multi-figure scenes. His engagement with the paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder led to a particular predilection for complex, multi-figure depictions of folk festivals and everyday events, which later also predestined him for stage design and narrative graphic art. Technically, Huber worked primarily in oil and watercolor, but also created reverse glass paintings and tile paintings, as well as numerous book illustrations, with which he made a unique contribution to post-war graphic art in Austria. His landscapes and cityscapes, often featuring churches and religious motifs, are also closely related to Viennese sacred art of the first half of the 20th century, in which a modern, color-intensive visual language merged with traditional themes. From 1932 onward, Huber regularly participated in the Venice Biennale; in 1935 he received the Austrian State Prize for Watercolor, in 1937 the Honorary Prize of the City of Vienna, in 1949 the title of Professor, and in 1952 the Honorary Prize for Painting from the Salzburg Art Association. As teachers and colleagues trained at the Vienna Academy, such as Karl Sterrer and Wilhelm Dachauer, Huber's career moved between conservative institutions and modern artistic groups. Within this constellation, he occupied a mediating position within Viennese Modernism, where landscape painting, applied art, and commissioned sacred works formed a characteristic synthesis. PLEASE NOTE: The purchase price consists of the highest bid plus the buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, the fee of artists resale rights and platform fee. In the case of normal taxation (marked ° at the estimate), a premium of 24% is added to the highest bid. The mandatory sales tax is added to the sum of the highest bid, the buyer's premium and platform fee. This amounts to 13% for paintings, drawings, graphic works and sculptures and 20% for photographs and all other items. The buyer's premium amounts to 28% in case of differential taxation. The sales tax is included in the differential taxation.