Ivo SALIGER

In the annals of Austrian art history, the name Ivo Saliger shines like a living painting from bygone eras. Born on October 21, 1894 in Königsberg-Wagstadt, he left behind an artistic legacy that extends to the halls of Vienna and far beyond. His artistic journey began in the picturesque climes of Silesia, but as early as 1908 he found his spiritual anchorage in the cultural waters of Vienna.

It was there, at the Grafische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, that Saliger laid the foundations of his artistic work. Under the guidance of important masters such as Rudolf Jettmar, Ludwig Michalek and Ferdinand Schmutzer, his talent for painting and etching blossomed. In 1920, he received the honor of being appointed professor at this renowned institution, but his creative thirst could not be quenched by teaching alone. He therefore decided to become a freelance artist, a decision that would have a lasting impact on the course of art history.

The 1920s and 1930s marked a period of artistic development for Saliger. Inspired by the flair of Art Deco, he shaped his works into pulsating odes to aesthetics and modernism. But his quest for perfection knew no bounds, and so he was drawn to the halls of the “Academie moderne” in Paris in 1930. There, under the guidance of masters such as Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant, he refined his oil painting and nude drawing techniques. It was a time of artistic metamorphosis in which Saliger raised his skills to a new level and gave his work an international dimension.

However, the shadows of time also left their mark on his work. The paintings he created during the era of National Socialism reflected the ideological atmosphere of the time. His depictions of the female figure, such as the famous work “The Judgement of Paris” from 1939, became propagandistic instruments that glorified the ideal of the “devoted German woman”. It is an irony of history that his works found a stage at the Great German Art Exhibitions between 1937 and 1944, where they were celebrated as a manifestation of National Socialist artistic principles.

Yet despite the dark shadows that may fall over parts of his oeuvre, Saliger’s legacy remains undeniable. In addition to his landscapes, he left behind a rich legacy of nude drawings and paintings that still touch the hearts of art lovers around the world today.