The Life and Art of Wilhelm Thöny
Wilhelm Thöny was an Austrian painter, illustrator, graphic artist, and etcher. Born in Graz, Austria, he studied at the Landeskunstschule in Graz and later at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, where he studied under Angelo Jank and Gabriel von Hackl. During his formative years, he also learned to play the piano and sing. A founding member of the Münchener Neue Secession, Thöny maintained a lifelong friendship with the artist and writer Alfred Kubin.
His career was marked by significant transitions and personal experiences. During the war, he served in the Graz Rifle Regiment #3 and was a Lieutenant in the Reserve. While stationed on the Italian Front, he created large-scale depictions of battles, many of which were reproduced as postcards. Following the war, he founded the Sezession Graz and served as its first President. After living in Paris and spending summers on the Côte d’Azur, he became fascinated with large cities, eventually moving to New York City in 1938.
Artistic Legacy and Works
Thöny's body of work spanned various mediums, including watercolor and oil painting. His fascination with urban environments led to the production of paintings with New York motifs following a visit to Manhattan in 1933. In 1937, he received a gold medal at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne.
Tragically, a warehouse fire on March 4, 1948, destroyed over a thousand of his paintings and graphics, which constituted the bulk of his life's work. His surviving works are held in various collections, including:
