(Vienna 1933–1997)
‘Wiener Frühstück’ (Petit Dejéuner Viennoise), signed and dated Leherb 66/67, oil on canvas, 65 x 54 cm, framed, (K)

Label verso:
Leherb 21 rue Gazan (Parc Montsouris) Paris 14e

Further label:
Fort Worth Art Center Museum, 1309 Montgomery, Fort Worth, Texas

Provenance:
Hassfurther, Vienna after 1945, auction, 2 December 1989, Hotel Hilton, cat. no. 117a
Private Collection, Austria

... He was the central motif in many of his paintings along with his wife, the painter, Lotte Profohs and his son, Anselm Daniel Leherb. For the entirety of his life, he was a darling of Viennese society due to the way he styled himself. Leherb also lived in France, Belgium and Italy. In 1964 Leherb was nominated to participate in the Biennale in Venice with his Zeitzerstörungsmanifest, although his participation was blocked by a government reshuffle by the then Education Minister. An art scandal grew and the influential Parisian art journal, Art et loisirs included an article entitled, ‘Erster Skandal der Biennale in Venice!’ The German magazine, Stern put the scandal on its title page with the slogan, ‘Surrealist Leherb: keine weißen Mäuse für Venice’ and let loose on Austria as the ‘Land of Culture’.

In Paris he made the acquaintance of André Breton, who named him the ‘black prince of Surrealism’. Leherb was, however, disgusted by what he called Parisian decadence, throwing a glass of wine at Breton ... Wikipedia

Leherbs Bilder offenbaren eine Sehnsucht nach dem Wunderbaren
Alfred Muschik