Austrian sculptor Gironcoli, creator of complex and eclectic works, dead at 73

Austrian sculptor Bruno Gironcoli dead at 73

VIENNA — Sculptor Bruno Gironcoli, whose wide range of eclectic works and techniques defied categorization, has died, the Austria Press Agency reported Saturday. He was 73.

Gironcoli died in Vienna on Friday after a “long, serious illness,” the agency said, citing his widow, Christine Gironcoli. His refusal to be pinned down to a particular style or direction made him unique in Austria’s artistic scene.

Born Sept. 27, 1936 in the western city of Villach, Gironcoli applied his training as a gold- and silversmith in his early works, using fine wires, for example, to sculpt heads in three dimensional detail in a piece that drew international attention.

He quickly broke out of that mold, moving to plastics, polyester, paper and metal as his preferred materials and from depictions of individual objects to large and complex installations. His later works reflect his interest in power, sexuality and fertility as artistic themes, with sexuality linked to sadism or masochism.

Gironcoli, who replaced Fritz Wotruba as professor at Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts in 1977, was the holder of the Grand Prize of the Austrian State and the Austrian Medal for Science and Art.

Funeral arrangements were not made public.