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Hermann Rastorfer
Harlequin chained to Sphere

1980

$1,802.14
£1,319.72
€1,500
CA$2,453.16
A$2,749.68
CHF 1,431.68
MX$33,574.72
NOK 18,177.08
SEK 17,230.23
DKK 11,415.46
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About the Item

Hermann Rastorfer was a draftsman, painter, sculptor, illustrator, ceramist, designer, poster artist, developer of advertising concepts and communication campaigns, inventor, and architect. He began as a typesetter in Salzburg. In the mid-1950s, he moved to Germany, where he soon founded his own studio for graphic design and advertising. His goal was always to give each product a distinctive, highly recognizable appearance. He designed his own design line for the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, artistic cover images for numerous paperbacks from renowned publishers, and packaging for well-known products such as Ferrero Küsschen, Mon Chéri, Martell cognac, Schlumberger sparkling wine, Underberg, and many others. His advertising posters for the German Federal Railway and the Volkswagen car manufacturer, featuring the slogan "One must have a VW," also became widely known. His advertising campaigns achieved widespread recognition, but the artist himself was less so, as he always remained modestly in the background. His great love, however, belonged to independent artistic creation. He was particularly fascinated by the Harlequin, which he varied in many drawings and paintings. Rastorfer sees in this mythical figure—as a synonym for humanity itself—the omnipresent, vain, aggressive, deceitful, hypocritical, seductive, and seduced fool, who evidently laughs to his end. Rastorfer also created numerous sculptures that, far from any monumentality, always depict the vulnerability and fragility of human beings. They usually wear masks that conceal their true character. "Everything is a mask, everything a game; no one is himself or herself." Crowned with several Museum Exhibitions in Austria Rastorfer is renowned for his innovative style.
  • Creator:
    Hermann Rastorfer (1930 - 2009, Austrian)
  • Creation Year:
    1980
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 23.63 in (60 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)Depth: 0.4 in (1 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    uniquePrice: $1,802
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Zug, CH
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1565216059182

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