Josef Lorenzl

Josef Lorenzl (1892 – 1950) was an Art Deco period sculptor and ceramicist. Born in Austria in 1892 he was a contemporary of Ferdinand Preiss (1882-1943) and Demetre Chiparus (1886-1947) in the Art Deco movement.

He started his career working at the Vienna Arsenal where he learnt to cast bronze. He produced lots of bronze and chryselephantine (bronze and ivory) statues. He became known for producing statues of long-legged dancing girls with closed eyes. He also worked with his friend and painter Crejo who sometimes coloured his pieces. He signed his pieces ‘Enzl’ or ‘Lor’ together with ‘Crejo’ for the joint works which are particularly sought-after. One of his most famous statues is the 1920’s ‘The Butterfly Girl’ modelled on the famous dancer Niddy Impekoven.

He was also a talented ceramicist and produced pieces for Goldscheider working from one of their company studios and he also worked for two other Viennese companies, Hertwig and Keramos Porcelain.

‘Keramos’ was set up in 1910 by disabled war veterans and was subsidised by the Austrian government. It later became a public company directed by Otto Koller and Rudolf and Heinrich Wolf.

His work, both statues and ceramics came to be regarded as the embodiment of the Art Deco period. After his death his wife, Anna, destroyed many of his figurines.