Leopold a Paul Kupelwieser (Leopold and Paul Kupelwieser)

This publication accompanied an exhibition of the same name (2016) presenting two major figures from the Kupelwieser family – Leopold and Paul (respectively father and son, painter and ironworks manager). This mix of topics reflects the specific conditions of a time (the late 19th and early 20th century) when a newly emerging modern industrial society still coexisted with traditional structures. Leopold Kupelwieser – a professor of historical painting at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts – can be seen as a representative of these traditional structures. However, his son Paul left this old world behind and joined the dynamic process of industrialization. The publication thus encompasses two very different figures working in two very different areas, situating both father and son in the broader historical contexts of the eras in which they were active. It maps Leopold’s artistic career with a particular focus on his work in what is now the Czech Republic, including comparisons with similar painters.