Vally Wieselthier: Sculpting Modernism

The Austrian Cultural Forum New York (ACFNY) is delighted to announce Vally Wieselthier: Sculpting Modernism, the first retrospective exhibition dedicated to this trailblazing Jewish Austrian artist in the United States. The show features sculptures, drawings, textile works and photographs from various international public and private collections, including the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (MAK); the Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation, Vienna; Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter, 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.

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. The exhibition is supported with a grant from the Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies.

Vally Wieselthier was born to a Jewish family on May 25, 1895, in Vienna. She studied at the Vienna School of Applied Arts from 1914 to 1920 under Josef Hoffmann, Rosalia Rothansl, Koloman Moser, and Michael Powolny. Her early involvement with the Wiener Werkstätte (1917–1922) established her as a key figure in the movement. From 1922 to 1927, she ran her own ceramic workshop, collaborating with the newly founded Augarten porcelain manufactory (est. 1923), Friedrich Goldscheider, Gmundner Keramik, and J. & L. Lobmeyr, among others.

Beginning in 1928, Vally Wieselthier increasingly shifted her life and work to the United States. That same year, she participated in the International Exhibition of Ceramic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to New York City, she spent significant time in Chicago and traveled extensively throughout the entire United States, working at times with the Contempora Group, General Ceramics, and the Sebring Pottery Company. She continued to create prolifically until her untimely death on September 1, 1945.