PROF. JOSEF ZENZMAIER

Picture: Monika Kohlreiter, Professor Josef Zenzmaier, Major. Dr Thomas Freylinger

Prof. Josef Zenzmaier was born on 5 March 1933 in Kuchl and died on 29. Jänner 2023. As a student of Oskar Kokoschka and Giacomo Manzù, he received special recognition as an artist in the fields of sculpture, drawing, lithography and the technique of bronze casting.

Josef Zenzmaier was a quiet, introverted person who strives for artistic perfection. For many years, he led the modelling and bronze casting class at the International Summer Academy in Salzburg, which was founded by Oskar Kokoschka. So, it's hardly surprising that numerous works of art by this honorary citizen can be found in Kuchl and the surrounding area.

You can compare his first Madonna made of sandstone (1951) in Kuchl marketplace with a bronze Madonna in his typical style on house façades on Marktstrasse. If you look east towards the town hall, you will see one of his more recent works – the large market fountain, which represents the trades of Kuchl (guild and craft, farmers, and the Kuchl timber industry). These are the "pillars" of Kuchl standing on top of Salzach crushed stone. The delicate "water blessing" trickles over them. Zenzmaier's bronze sculptures were all created in his own casting workshop in the Georgenberg district of Kuchl.

If you fancy taking a little trip, you should definitely go and see his three bronze entrances at the Festspielhaus – House for Mozart – and of course the "Paracelsus" at the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU).