Descriptors such as idyllic, resistant to acceleration and remote have been attributed to the “Specialist School of Sculpture” in the Prater since it was established in 1913—and continue to this day. This publication is dedicated to the history of the “sculptors’ castle” of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, which was initially conceived as just a provisional solution. The authors cover various subjects and events from the institution’s founding year. Topics include the conflictual period of planning, relocation and construction, the everyday work of the servants, the denial of admission for female students, the colonial interweaving of the adjoining Prater, and the daily routine of students in the first years: “Modeling clay in the morning, chiseling stone in the afternoon!”
The book is published in conjunction with the exhibition Specialist School of Sculpture at xE – the exhibition room of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, October 18 - December 18, 2019