Gert J. Hödl

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Graz Ice Crib 2011

Gert J. Hödl (born November 6, 1943 in Vienna ; † January 19, 2017 in Villach ) was an Austrian ice and sand artist. The three-time world champion in ice carving became famous as the creator of the Graz Ice Crib , which he was responsible for designing until 2013.

life and career

education

Gert Hödl was born in Vienna and attended the Admont Abbey High School . Because of bad behavior he was expelled from school in fourth grade and finished it in Graz . He then completed an apprenticeship in cooking at the Hotel Bristol in Vienna. While Hödl worked on passenger ships for twelve years , the crew decorated his dishes with small ice sculptures , which is where he discovered his love for ice carving .

freelance artist

In 1978 Hödl organized an ice art festival himself for the first time in Sapporo , a global stronghold of ice carving. From 1981 he worked as a freelance artist . From then on, his work took him around the world, including China , Canada , Russia and Norway . He won the Ice Art World Championships three times, the unofficial world championship in ice carving. Later he also devoted himself to creating sand sculptures .

After two years of preparation, the artist designed the ice crib in the Grazer Landhaushof for the first time in 1996 , which developed into an annual highlight during Advent in Graz. The international reputation of the campaign contributed to the fact that the World Championships in ice carving took place in January 2002 in the Styrian capital. In 2014 Hödl handed over the design of the ice crib to the Finn Kimmo Frosti for health reasons.

Gert Hödl died on January 19, 2017 at the age of 73 in his adopted home Villach . He leaves a daughter.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Michael Pech: Styrian of the day - carver of the ice crib . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of December 1, 2003, p. 11.
  2. ↑ Ice and Art - Gert J. Hödl. Retrieved December 19, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Half the world put on hold . In: Kleine Zeitung , edition of January 21, 2002, p. 15.
  4. ↑ Graz ice crib built from around 50 tons of ice. Tiroler Tageszeitung , November 28, 2014, accessed on March 8, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Obituary notice Gert Hödl. Burial Carinthia, accessed on December 19, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Hödl, Gert J.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian ice and sand artist
DATE OF BIRTH November 6, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH 19th January 2017
Place of death Villach