Vally Wieselthier

“Tell these people who I am”—few phrases sum up the aspirations of the extraordinary artist Vally Wieselthier (1895–1945) more succinctly. Radically expressive, self-assured, and ahead of her time, she pushed open the boundaries of utilitarian ceramics. Having trained at the Vienna School of Applied Arts, she was able to further expand her skills at the renowned Wiener Werkstätte: Alongside impressive sculptures, she created wall friezes, fountains, and stove decorations but also had success as a graphic designer and an artist in glass and textiles. With Vally Wieselthier: Ceramic Sculptor, the catalog accompanying the exhibition of the same name, the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna takes its first comprehensive look at her career in Europe and the United States. Wieselthier’s work combines art and utilitarian objects, craft and expressive design. In addition, it tells the story of a humorous, self-assured woman who caused a sensation also in her second home of New York.

Text in English and German.