BRUNO GIRONCOLI
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.
Mr. 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 Villach, Mr. Gironcoli applied his training as a goldsmith 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.
Mr. 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.
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