Image: Municipality of Gmunden
Ernst Grabner from Gmunden, a connoisseur and collector of ceramic art renowned throughout Austria, made a valuable gift to the municipality: a ceramic model of Gmunden’s city center, created by the former Gmunden architect, ceramist, art expert and collector Franz König-Hollerwöger (1914-1995). .
In 2018, Grabner managed to save König-Hollwöger’s renowned Gmundner ceramics collection from being dissolved and thus being sold by an auction house.
Exhibits from this and many other examples of so-called Gmunden faience dating back to the early 18th century will soon be on display in a private museum set up by Grabner. Because Grabner wants to make the unique treasure of ceramic art accessible to the public.
Back to the model: König-Hollerwöger created it in the early 1960s. This is also indicated by the emergency bridge over the Traun outflow, which still existed at the time. Grabner, who feels very close ties to his home town, took Gmunden’s candidacy as UNESCO City of Ceramics and this year’s pottery market as an opportunity to hand over the gift.
The Gmunden ceramist Bernd Födinger had previously professionally restored the Gmunden miniature.
Source: Nachrichten
