Austria/Mexico, produced in the second half of the 20th century, abstract design, mainly in light-coloured and blue tones, wool, woven monogram, stretched over a wooden strip at the edge. Size c. 85 cm x 205 cm. (MHA)

Fritz Riedl studied painting with Albert Paris Gütersloh at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna from 1938 to 1947. In 1948 he began tapestry weaving, sharing a studio with his domestic partner, Johanna Schidlo. In the same year, an exhibition of tapestries designed by the artist himself and by fellow artists from the Art Club circle took place. In 1954 he took part in the Venice Biennale. In 1959 he participated in the Documenta II in Kassel and in 1963 at the Biennale of Sao Paulo, where he received the Prize for Applied Arts. In 1967 he was a recipient of the Prize of the City of Vienna for Applied Arts. In 1968 he moved to Mexico and founded the “Gobelinos Mexicanos” manufactory in Guadalajara. In 1976 he returned to Austria, where he taught textile design at the University of Art and Industrial Design in Linz until 1991.

Cf. Lit.:
Fritz Riedl, Bildteppiche / Tapestries (edited by Fritz Smola), Vienna, Cologne, Weimar 2003, pp. 124 ff.

Provenance:
Private Ownership, Austria.