About the artist
Born in Przemyśl, Poland, in 1902, Karl Duldig moved to Vienna in 1913. In 1921, Duldig became a student at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, where he worked for three years under the noted Austrian sculptor Anton Hanak. In 1926 Duldig became a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, and from 1929 to 1933 and was a member of the Academy's prestigious Master School in Sculpture.
Karl left Austria in 1938 with his wife and daughter, and after a short period in Switzerland, the family arrived in Singapore in 1939. There, Duldig completed major commissions for the Sultan of Johor and Aw Boon Haw, the Tiger Balm King.
The Duldigs were evacuated to Australia in 1940. Karl Duldig had numerous professional achievements in Australia. He was Director of Art at Mentone Boys Grammar School from 1945 to 1967, founding and Honorary Life President of the Bezalel Fellowship of the Arts, President of the Association of Sculptors of Victoria and Honorary Life Member from 1982. In 1956 Duldig won the Victorian Sculptor of the Year Award.
In the metropolitan area, his work can be found in the City of Caulfield Municipal Offices, Melbourne General Cemetery War Memorial, Council House, Kadimah Cultural Centre, Kew Junction (Raoul Wallenberg Monument) and St. Mary's Church in Altona. In addition to the Duldig Studio, his work is held by major galleries in Australia, including the Australian National Gallery, the Australian War Memorial, and the National Gallery of Victoria, and by private collectors in many parts of the world.
Duldig studio
Karl Duldig established a sculpture garden in his residence at 92 Burke Road, now the Duldig Studio Museum and sculpture garden. Now a house museum for public visitation, many rooms are maintained as they were during the family's residence. They feature period furniture reminiscent of the European Modernist approach that informed Karl Duldig's life's work. His original studio, with a kiln, tools and artworks from several periods, is on public display.
About the work
The female figure was a favourite subject of the artist throughout his career. A small clay maquette Duldig modelled in Vienna c.1930 bears a strong resemblance to Koré, the name given to a type of freestanding ancient Greek figure, always of young women. Koré offers a perfect opportunity for residents of Stonnington to interact with public art.
The serene, almost classical female figure seems to have always been there. Some pass by without noticing her, and others stop to contemplate and admire the piece's elegance.
Karl Duldig spent his younger years in Austria, where there is a long tradition of freestanding sculpture in public parks, gardens and streetscapes. In Australia, Duldig quickly became a strong advocate for sculpture in open spaces and, during his lifetime, encouraged the placement of sculpture in Melbourne's parks and gardens.
No touching!
Karl saw bronze as an ideal medium for public sculpture as it is impermeable and ages beautifully through natural oxidation. Duldig liked people to handle his bronze sculptures, as this would buff the exposed surfaces, lessening the need for other maintenance or cleaning. The sculpture Koré, in Central Park, invites this interaction, so please feel free to 'embrace' the figure!
Did you know?
Duldig was an outstanding sportsperson; he won the Austrian table tennis championship, played international soccer and was a nationally acclaimed tennis player in Austria.
The Age article entitled He Dreams of a Law for Beauty, November 26, 1970.