NEW YORK, NY.- The Austrian Cultural Forum New York is presenting Vally Wieselthier: Sculpting Modernism, the first institutional retrospective in the United States dedicated to Vienna-born trailblazing Jewish artist Vally Wieselthier. The exhibition features sculptures, drawings, textile works and photographs from a range of international public and private collections. Collaborators include the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (MAK); the Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation, Vienna; Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter, Vienna; The Augarten Porcelain Manufactory & the Augarten Porcelain Museum, Vienna; the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York (FIT); The Wolfsonian–Florida International University, Miami; the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), Minnesota, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York.
In addition, a site-specific installation by New York–based Austrian artist Sascha Mallon, created in response to Wieselthier’s life and work, accompanies the exhibition.
Comprising ceramic works, drawings, textiles, designs for functional objects and toys, as well as photographs, the oeuvre of Vally Wieselthier (1895–1945) redefines modernist expression. A leading figure of the Wiener Werkstätte, Wieselthier broke conventions with her exuberant, often provocative designs that blurred the then strict divide between fine art and crafts. Her works are marked by exaggerated forms, vibrant colors, and playful irreverence, challenging traditional notions of femininity. Especially her radical approach to ceramics, showcased her ability to merge humor, sensuality, and artistic innovation. As a result, she succeeded in transforming clay into a medium of avant-garde expression.
While celebrating Wieselthier’s many achievements, this exhibition also pays special tribute to her American years, tracing how she navigated the intersection of art, industry, and gender expectations in a rapidly changing cultural landscape. Beginning with her first visit to the United States in 1928, Wieselthier introduced her avant-garde vision to a new audience. Quickly gaining recognition in New York, she created bold, expressive sculptures that fused European modernism with the dynamism of American design. Her exaggerated figures, rich in humor and theatricality, continued to defy traditional expectations of craft and femininity.
In America, Wieselthier worked independently as well as with major ceramic manufacturers and designers, playing a crucial role in shaping the aesthetics of modern decorative arts. Whether producing large-scale figurative sculptures or experimental commercial designs, she infused her work with a radical spirit that resonated with the evolving tastes of the interwar and wartime periods. Her expressive forms and richly textured surfaces rejected conventional ideals of beauty, embracing instead a raw, modern energy that set her apart.
Vally Wieselthier: Sculpting Modernism presents the artist as one of the most innovative creative voices of her time. An artist whose influence extended far beyond Europe and left an indelible mark on 20th-century design.
