Otto Boehler

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Joking self-portrait by the artist

Otto Böhler (born November 11, 1847 in Frankfurt am Main , † April 5, 1913 in Vienna ) was an Austrian silhouette artist and industrialist of German origin.

Life

Obituary
Crypt of the Böhler family

Otto Böhler was the fifth son of the wholesale merchant Georg Friedrich Böhler and spent his childhood and youth in Frankfurt am Main. At the University of Tübingen he studied philosophy up to his doctorate. He then moved to Vienna around 1870 with his brothers Albert (1845–1899) and Friedrich (1849–1914) and, after the death of his brother Emil (1842–1882), took part in the family business .

Following his artistic talent, he became a student of the painter and writer Wenzel Ottokar Noltsch (1835–1908). However, he soon turned to the art of paper cutting and found a rich field of activity in his musical environment. Bohler's circle of friends included singers Amalie Materna , Hermann Winkelmann , Theodor Reichmann and musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic . In 1876 he attended the first Bayreuth Festival as a member of the Bayreuth Patronage Association, paying homage to his “musical god” Richard Wagner .

Böhler was married and had four children when he died in 1913 of a heart condition that had been diagnosed two years earlier. He was buried in the family crypt of the Hietzinger Friedhof (group 19, no. 166).

plant

Front page of Dr. Otto Böhler's silhouettes

Böhler captured almost all German composers from Bach to Mahler , but also conductors and pianists of his time, in paper cutouts. The original works have only been preserved in isolated cases, especially in museums. His motifs, however, were taken as photographs, e.g. B. on postcards, often circulated and printed in newspapers , his silhouettes can even be found on phone cards .

  • Dr. Otto Böhler's silhouettes . KuK Hof- und Univ.-Buchhandlung in Vienna, KuK Hofmanufaktur for Photography Rudolf Lechner (Wilhelm Müller), Vienna 1914.

literature

  • Max Hayek: Dr. Otto Boehler . In: Dr. Otto Böhler's silhouettes . Lechner, Vienna 1914.
  • Otto Böhler jun .: History of the Böhler & Co. AG brothers. 1870-1940 . Volk und Reich Verlag, Berlin 1941.

Web links

Commons : Otto Böhler  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Boehler, Otto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian silhouette artist of German origin
DATE OF BIRTH November 11, 1847
PLACE OF BIRTH Frankfurt am Main
DATE OF DEATH April 5, 1913
Place of death Vienna