Carl Auböck II (1900-1957)
Carl Auböck II was born in Vienna, Austria in 1900. As the only son of Karl Heinrich Auböck, Carl II was introduced early to his father's workshop as an apprentice where he would learn the process of designing and manufacturing decorative objects. In 1914 at 14 years of age, Carl Auböck II began his apprenticeship at his father's Werkstätte while he also attended the School of Graphic Design until 1917. Showing great artistic ability, Auböck II studied drawing and painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna from 1917-1919. While still attending the Academy, the talented artist would develop a relationship that would one day shape the future of the Werkstätte. In 1918, Carl II attended artist Johannes Itten's private art school. This was a pivotal moment in the life Auböck's life as in 1919, Johannes Itten accepted an invitation by Bauhaus founder, Walter Gropius to become one of the first teachers at the school in Weimar, Germany. Itten would recruit a select group of his Viennese students to make the journey to the Bauhaus with him. The young Carl Auböck II was recommended for a scholarship to the Bauhaus by Itten and joined the group of artists in becoming the founding members of the now legendary school. Carl Auböck II attended the Bauhaus from 1919 to 1921 where he studied Johannes Itten's "Vorkurs" preparatory course, introducing him to a diverse range of artistic outlets. As an apprentice of his father, Karl Heinrich Auböck, Carl II was at home in the Bauhaus metal shop where he could meld the traditional skills of metalworking with the emerging abstract and modernist art movement. Among his many accomplishments, Carl Auböck II is credited with creating the frescoes for the Bauhaus assembly hall with Frank Skala. Perhaps the greatest relationship that Auböck II would develop at the Bauhaus was with fellow student Mara Uckunowa. Uckunowa, a gifted sculptor and weaver would later become the wife of Carl Auböck II. In 1925, Karl Heinrich Auböck passed away at the age of 53, leaving Mara and Carl II to take over operations of the Werkstätte at 23 Bernardgasse. Initially using his father's models and methods of production, the young artist would begin implementing his Bauhaus-influenced style into designs. Auböck II would become a master of producing whimsical, functional forms for everyday use. True to the spirit of the Bauhaus method of integration of materials and ideas, Carl Auböck II, known for his hallmark usage of brass, would also seamlessly implement ceramics, leather, glass, and wood into designs. During the 1950's Auböck II working alongside his son, Carl Auböck III would enter into a prolific design and production era that would give life to over 4,000 unique works. In 1954 Carl Auböck II was awarded four gold medals at the Milan Triennale for designing a range of metalware. Although much of Carl II's success is associated with the remarkable design objects that made the Werkstätte Carl Auböck renowned throughout the world, he was an artist at heart. Auböck's paintings and watercolors are outstanding works of art, both masterful in execution and aesthetic. Carl Auböck II died at the age of 57 in 1957 leaving behind his family and a vast body of work that is undeniably touched by the hand of an artist.
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