Gustinus Ambrosi (Eisenstadt 1893 – 1975 Vienna)
was a sculptor, graphic artist and poet. A musical prodigy, he lost his hearing at the age of seven due to illness and turned to sculpture. He learned his craft in Prague, Graz and Vienna, where he worked as a blacksmith, stonemason and metal caster. He created his first busts at the age of 14; his sculpture ‘Man with a Broken Neck’ (aged 15) was exhibited in 1910. Ambrosi studied Rodin, Italian Baroque, the Renaissance and Michelangelo intensively. In 1912, his first major exhibition took place in Graz, where he received the State Prize. In 1913, he was given a state studio in Vienna's Prater park, which was destroyed during the Second World War. In the post-war years, the federal government built a new studio with a museum in Vienna's 2nd district, which opened in 1978. Ambrosi created numerous portrait busts, expressive nudes and groups of figures that are among the highlights of Austrian sculpture.
Lit.: F. Karpfen, G. Ambrosi, Vienna 1923
