NGV Vienna Art and Design - Klimt Schiele Hoffmann Loos

by Eva Duldig

'The great Austrian sculptor Anton Hanak would be delighted that a marble mask by his favourite student Karl Duldig is included in this amazing exhibition. After all, he chose this work to be shown in an international exhibition in Munich. He could not, however, ever have imagined the subsequent chequered history that enabled the work to survive the Second World War and become a treasure in the collection of The Duldig Studio in Melbourne. MASK 1921 by Karl Duldig (1902-1986) is beautifully displayed in the middle of the last room of the exhibition and seems to express self-effacing amusement to be sharing the limelight with such luminaries as Klimt and Hoffman, both personal friends and colleagues of Anton Hanak, Duldig's beloved mentor.

As Karl's daughter it is wonderful to see his work included in this exhibition. Our family fled from the Nazis in Vienna in 1938, and eventually arriving in Australia in 1940 as "enemy aliens." After being interned in Tatura, my father joined the Australian army and we settled in Melbourne. We were naturalised in 1946, and after the war Karl Duldig became the art teacher at Mentone Grammar School and my mother, Slawa, taught at St Catherine's for many years. This show has so many treasures it is a delight to be part of it.'

by Anon

'Vienna is an inspiring place. A place that still promotes creativity. A place where you can get dirt cheap standing room tickets to the opera so you don’t need to be rich to enjoy the best. A place of cakes and conversation and the chance for conversation. Thank you for a wonderful exhibition which illustrates how that piece of geography inspired a shift in paradigm – a new way of looking!'

by Anon

'My daughter and I are here again for our third and last look at the Vienna exhibition. We've been every day since arriving in Melbourne on Monday. The love of Klimt's art led to a gift of a trip to Vienna next year in 2012. What a 60th birthday present! But we could not resist coming to this show first. No need for names, we're Australians of mixed heritage, we both enjoy fine art and design and have found so much to enjoy here at this exhibition. It has created even more interest and excitement about our family trip to Europe and our coming days in Vienna.'

by Kenta

'Just got back from a three week trip to Switzerland, Italy and Austria. Only in Wien for two nights. Saw many paintings by Egon Schiele and some works by Gustav Klimt. Both amazing artists. Went to a concert which concluded with the "Blue Danube." Beauty from a long history of humanity and nature.'

by Helga

'My mother was born in Vienna in 1933. When she was six, the war broke out. She survived hunger, bombing raids, the imprisonment of her father for daring to defy the Nazis, and the death of three family members from TB. She also danced and skied and worked and loved in beautiful Vienna. The story that stands out the most in my mind, though, was about the daily trips to the Vienna Catacombs for months to escape the bombing raids which at times entered her street and even her home. She remembers these times fondly because it was the only time she and her friends were able to share bags of broken biscuits. My mother described her Viennese childhood as "ideal."'