Toni Stadler (1888 - 1982)

Biographical Sketch

Toni Stadler was born in Munich on Sep. 5, 1888 and died at an old age there on April 5, 1982. Sculptor and drawer, he was the son of the Austrian painter Anton Stadler. First Toni Stadler studied under Prof. Gaul in Berlin, then under Prof. Hahn in Munich (Academy). In Paris he was a pupil of Maillol (1925-1927), who became his master and role model. He was also inspired by Egyptian, early Greek and Etruscan sculptures. In 1934 Stadler was awarded the Rome Prize from the Prussian Academy for the Arts. Guest at Villa Massimo in Rome along with Gerhard Mack (1935) where he was influenced by Mirko Basaldella. After this, Stadler worked increasingly with hollow molds into which he poured wax. Many years later (1961), he returned to Villa Massimo as a guest of honor. His experience in Rome influenced him profoundly. Villa Romana award - 1938. He went to Florence with his student Priska von Martin, whom he married in 1942. There the painter Hans Purrmann directed an institution having difficulties, the Center for Spritual Freedom, as he called it. The German emigrants Blumenthal, Bargheer, Battke, Curt Craemer, Kasimir Edschmid and Rudolf Levy met there. A lasting friendship took shape between Stadler and Purrmann. His stay in Italy functioned as a retreat from direct art instruction, which had been taken over by Fashism. His models of youth continued to effect Stadler's artistic emergence: Hans von Marées as well as Adolf von Hildebrand. In 1938 he returned to Germany and worked in Munich on busts and statuettes. He taught at the Städelschule in Frankfurt. Stadler's early work was partially destroyed in the war, and partially by he himself. From 1946 to 1958, he directed the sculpture classes at the Munich Academy. His work includes drawings, bronzes, terracottas, and prints. Stadler's late work was influenced by his encounter with the works of Marino Marini and Henri Laurens. Stadler's creations show a tendency towards an intermediate form between a vase and a figure. The stimulus is the human presence. 'The Inner Force of Form' remains Stadler's central concern. A fusion of ancient art with French light effects. His works can be found in museums and private collections. (Works in public squares: George Marshall Memorial in Frankfurt 1963.) ek

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References:

Toni Stadler. Edited by Armin Zweite. Catalogue, Städtischen Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich 1978/79

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Note:

The references given are not meant as a list of the best works available on the subject, but simply reflect the author's sources.

Registers and catalogues of works are included when known and correspond to the information given in the index.