Thorak, Josef

SCULPTOR (AUSTRIA)
BORN 7 Feb 1889, Salzburg - DIED 25 Feb 1952, Hartmannsberg (near Rosenheim), Oberbayern
CAUSE OF DEATH asthma attack
GRAVE LOCATION Salzburg: St. Petersfriedhof, Domplatz (25 (cleared))

Josef Thorak was educated in Vienna and Berlin. In 1937 he was appointed professor at the Academy in Munich and in 1938 a large studio was put at his disposal to create his enormous sculptures.

During the Third Reich he received many commissions, among them the Kleisdenkmal in Berlin. His first wife was Jewish and the nazis allowed her to go to England. After the war she had no appetite to come back. Thorak was almost forgotten after the war and he lived quietly in Bavaria. In 1949 he married Erna Hönig, who was 25 years his junior. He died in 1952 ans was buried in the grave of his mother in Salzburg. His widow survived him for 52 years and was buried at a cemetery in Chiemgau. Most of Thorak's work is lost.

Related persons
• made a sculpture of Gebühr, Otto
• used as a model Ondra, Anny
• has a connection with Speer, Albert

Images

The grave of Josef Thorak at the St. Petersfriedhof, Salzburg.
Picture by Androom (27 Aug 2009)

 

The grave of Josef Thorak at the St. Petersfriedhof, Salzburg.
Picture by Androom (27 Aug 2009)

 

The grave of Josef Thorak at the St. Petersfriedhof in Salzburg was removed.
Picture by Androom (31 Aug 2022)

 

Sources
• Aubert, Joachim, Handbuch der Grabstätten berühmten Deutscher, Österreicher und Schweizer, Deutscher Kunstverlag, München, 1973
josef-thorakEnglish


Thorbecke, Johan Rudolf

Published: 10 Apr 2009
Last update: 29 Jan 2023