Heinrich Lefler (7 November 1863 – 14 March 1919) was an Austrian painter, graphic artist and

stage designer Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...

. His father was the painter Franz Lefler.

Life and work

From 1880 to 1884, he studied at the

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

under

Christian Griepenkerl Christian Griepenkerl (17 March 1839 – 22 March 1916) was a German painter and professor, best known for rejecting Adolf Hitler's application to train at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Biography Griepenkerl was born to one of Oldenburg (cit ...

and, from 1884, at the

Academy of Fine Arts Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

under

Nikolaus Gysis Nikolaos Gyzis ( ; ; 1 March 1842 – 4 January 1901) is considered one of Greece's most important 19th century painters. He was most famous for his work '' Eros and the Painter'', his first genre painting. It was auctioned in May 2006 at Bonham ...

and

Wilhelm von Diez Albrecht Christoph Wilhelm von Diez (17 January 1839 – 25 February 1907) was a German painter and illustrator of the Munich School. Life He was born in Bayreuth. He attended a trade school in Munich, followed by the Polytechnic School (precur ...

. In 1891, he became a member of the Society of Austrian Artists and, in 1900, was a founding member of the

Hagenbund The Hagenbund or Künstlerbund Hagen was a group of Austrian artists that formed in 1899. The group's name derived from the name Herr Hagen, the proprietor of an inn in Vienna which they frequented. Early history The group's most prominent member ...

. From 1900 to 1903, he was an assistant to

Anton Brioschi Anton Brioschi (30 November 1855, Vienna - 31 August 1920, Vienna) was an Austrian painter, scenic designer and graphic artist. His non-theatrical works were mostly landscapes and marine art. Life and work His father, Carlo Brioschi, was als ...

, the head designer at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

, following which he became a professor at the academy until 1910. While at the Vienna Opera, he designed a set for the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

and shipped the pieces to New York. Besides the time spent in his formal occupations, he spent a great deal of time in Weißenbach an der Triesting with his father and his brother-in-law,

Joseph Urban Joseph Urban (May 26, 1872 – July 10, 1933) was an Austrian-American architect, illustrator, and scenic designer. Life and career Joseph Urban was born on May 26, 1872, in Vienna. He received his first architectural commission at age 19 wh ...

, a fellow scenic designer, where they painted murals on villas and hotels, designed invitation cards for summer festivals and, with librettist

Camillo Walzel Camillo Walzel (11 February 1829 –17 March 1895) was a German librettist and theatre director, who wrote under the pseudonym F Zell. Life and work Walzel was born in Magdeburg. In his early years, he worked in his father's lithographic factory, ...

, staged theatrical productions for children. The team of Lefler and Urban created many public events as well, including the 1905 Schiller Festival parade and a procession along the

Ringstraße The Ringstrasse or Ringstraße (pronounced Help:IPA/Standard German, �ɪŋˌʃtʁaːsə:File:De-Ringstraße.ogg, ⓘ, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic city centre, ...

in 1908, on the occasion of the Emperor's 60th Jubilee. Lefler also designed banknotes, financial

warrants Warrant may refer to: * Warrant (law), a form of specific authorization ** Arrest warrant, authorizing the arrest and detention of an individual ** Search warrant, a court order issued that authorizes law enforcement to conduct a search for eviden ...

and promotional posters for several companies, including Auerlicht and

Krupp Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp (formerly Fried. Krupp AG and Friedrich Krupp GmbH), trade name, trading as Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century as well as Germany's premier weapons manufacturer dur ...

. Many of Lefler's costumes and stage designs have been preserved in the

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

Collection at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

.Max Reinhardt Collection of Viennese Costume and Design
/ref> In 1903, he married opera singer Mina Wiesmüller, who modeled the portrait that appears in his design for the 1000 Kronen banknote. In 1932, a street in Vienna,

Donaustadt Donaustadt (; "Danube City") is the 22nd district of Vienna, Austria (). Donaustadt is the easternmost district of Vienna.Statistik Austria, 2007, webpagestatistik.at-23450. Wien.gv.at webpage (see below: References). Geography The Donaustadt ...

was renamed the "Heinrich-Lefler-Gasse" in his honor.

References

External links

*

Illustrations from "Die Prinzessin und die Schweinehirt" (The Princess and the Pigman, by

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

), 1897

Archiv des Triestingtaler Heimatmuseums Weissenbach
Bernhard Denscher: Heinrich Lefler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lefler, Heinrich 1863 births 1919 deaths Austrian graphic artists Austrian illustrators Austrian scenic designers Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Lohengrin

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links