Virgil Rainer

Virgil Rainer, 1919

Virgil Rainer (born November 27, 1871 in Matrei in Osttirol , † October 24, 1948 in Innsbruck ) was an Austrian sculptor .

Education and life

Memorial plaque on Rainer's birthplace

Virgil Rainer was born as a farmer's son on the Messnerhof in the Ganz fraction of the municipality of Matrei in East Tyrol. He attended the State Trade School in Innsbruck until 1894 , and later the Royal School of Applied Arts in Munich . From 1903 to 1910 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with Hans Bitterlich and Edmund Hellmer . In 1912 he opened a studio in Vienna and later in Berlin . When the First World War broke out in 1914, he returned to Tyrol and served with the Kaiserjäger . In the economically unfavorable period after World War I, he went to America and lived in Chicago and Milwaukee from 1921 to 1925 . There he created, among many other works, one of his most monumental works, the statue of Christopher Columbus for the University of Chicago . From 1926 until his death he was based in Innsbruck. Rainer mainly created large- scale religious sculptures in a naturalistic style influenced by the Secession .

Works (selection)

Bust of Klemens Maria Hofbauer at the Minoritenkirche in Vienna, 1913

Memorial to the freedom fighters Panzl and Wallner in front of the Matrei cemetery in East Tyrol , 1909
Freedom Fighters Monument in St. Veit in Defereggen, 1909
Klemens Maria Hofbauer Monument in Vienna, 1913
Reliefs risen, Christ Salvator and coat of arms on the Kaiserjäger monument, Tummelplatz Innsbruck, 1918
First World War memorial, Heiterwang , around 1920
Artificial stone relief of St. Georg, war memorial in Schmirn , 1925
War memorial in Landeck, 1930
Limestone relief Madonna and Child, high altar of the Pradl parish church , Innsbruck, 1931 (removed in 1955)
Relief St. Christophorus at the house at Leopoldstrasse 31, Innsbruck, 1932

literature

Erich Egg: Rainer, Virgil. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 8, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1983, ISBN 3-7001-0187-2 , p. 398.
Klaus Steiner: Virgil Rainer. From farmer's son to academic sculptor . Self-published, Matrei 1991.

Web links

Commons : Virgil Rainer - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Entry about Virgil Rainer in the Austria-Forum (biography)

Individual evidence

↑ Fingernagel-Grüll, Wiesauer: Monument to the four imperial regiments, Kaiserjäger monument. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
^ Fingernail-Grüll, Schmid-Pittl: War memorial, First World War. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
^ I. Dollinger, Wiesauer: Niche shrine, war memorial chapel. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
↑ Wiesauer: War memorial for the two world wars. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
^ Helmuth Öhler: Margaretes braids in Pradl. In: Contacts. Parish gazette of the Pradl parish , No. 188, May 2013 ( PDF; 711 kB )

personal data
SURNAME	Rainer, Virgil
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Austrian sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH	November 27, 1871
PLACE OF BIRTH	Matrei in East Tyrol
DATE OF DEATH	October 24, 1948
Place of death	innsbruck

[1] Fingernagel-Grüll, Wiesauer: Monument to the four imperial regiments, Kaiserjäger monument. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved January 13, 2020 .

[2] Fingernail-Grüll, Schmid-Pittl: War memorial, First World War. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved April 23, 2019 .

[3] I. Dollinger, Wiesauer: Niche shrine, war memorial chapel. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved April 23, 2019 .

[4] Wiesauer: War memorial for the two world wars. In: Tyrolean art register . Retrieved April 23, 2019 .

[5] Helmuth Öhler: Margaretes braids in Pradl. In: Contacts. Parish gazette of the Pradl parish , No. 188, May 2013 ( PDF; 711 kB )