To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Fritz Wotruba's death (1907-1975), the Belvedere 21 will host a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to this seminal Austrian sculptor. To date, Wotruba's work has been examined either monographically or in terms of his influence on subsequent generations. This presentation will center on Wotruba’s international exhibition activities and network, and the overall reception of his sculptures.

Wotruba was acquainted with several artists, including Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti, Germaine Richier, and Marino Marini; with others, he shared the platform of thematic or sculpture-focused exhibitions in the 1950s and 1960s. Based on a selection of Wotruba's sculptures and notable works by his contemporaries, such as Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Armitage, and Isamu Noguchi, these historical encounters will serve as a point of departure for an exploration of fundamental questions related to sculpture after 1945.

The exhibition thus offers a fresh perspective on Fritz Wotruba, who not only played a pivotal role in Austrian sculpture after 1945 but was also an influential voice in the international discourse on the human image in postwar Modernism.