The Artistic Journey of Wilfried Kirschl
Wilfried Kirschl was an Austrian painter and art publicist. Born in Wörgl, he later moved to Innsbruck. His formal education began at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he studied from 1948 to 1952 under Josef Dobrowsky and Herbert Boeckl. During this period, he also worked in the Turmatelier in an artistic community alongside Alfred Hrdlicka and Rudolf Schönwald. In 1957, he furthered his studies at the Académie André Lhote in Paris.
His early works in the 1950s were characterized by a focus on landscape, architectural landscape, and still life, as well as portraits of figures from the intellectual life of Tyrol. Following his studies in France, his style evolved through formal experiments influenced by Cubism, leading to a more reduced form and a restrained use of color. His palette brightened after he began traveling to Mediterranean regions, including Italy, Greece, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia. His later, highly productive phases in the 1980s and 1990s produced architectural landscapes and still lifes noted for their formal rigor and light, pastel-toned coloring.
Exhibitions and Public Works
Kirschl’s career included significant contributions to public art and the curation of exhibitions. His public works include:
As a curator, he co-founded the Galerie im Taxispalais in Innsbruck. He also dedicated much of his time to writing and researching the works of Albin Egger-Lienz and Carl Moser.
