The Life and Art of Hans Pilhs
Hans Pilhs was an Austrian painter associated with the Expressionism movement. Born in 1903 in Tullnerbach bei Wien, he later lived and died in Vienna. His formal training began in 1919 at the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule, where he studied under professors Erich Mallina and Anton von Kenner. His talent was recognized by the art dealer Otto Kallir-Nirenstein, who dedicated his 100th anniversary exhibition at the Neue Galerie in Vienna to Pilhs in 1934.
His life was marked by significant travel and historical upheaval. Following a study trip to Italy in 1938, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1941 and became a prisoner of war in English custody in 1945. In the years following the war, Pilhs undertook several journeys that informed his work, including trips to Greece and Egypt in 1954 and 1958. He produced various picture cycles during travels to Tunisia in 1962, Morocco and Spain in 1964, and Turkey in 1966.
Legacy and Collections
The works of Hans Pilhs are held in several prominent public collections, including:
One of his notable works recorded in our catalog is Dr. Desiderius Sabai, dating to 1934.
