Temple Dancer, An Ivory, Silvered Bronze, and Enamelled Figure
Cast and Carved from a Model by Gerda Iro Gerdago, circa 1925
The bronze plinth inscribed with the artist's monogram and GERDAGO, with Arthur Rubenstein foundry mark
19 in (48.3 cm) high, 5 in (12.7 cm) wide, including onyx base
Provenance
Victor Arwas
Sir Elton John
Literature
Victor Arwas, Art Deco Sculpture, 1992, p.93
Victor Arwas, Art Deco, 1980, p.150
19 in (48.3 cm) high, 5 in (12.7 cm) wide, including onyx base
Provenance
Victor Arwas
Sir Elton John
Literature
Victor Arwas, Art Deco Sculpture, 1992, p.93
Victor Arwas, Art Deco, 1980, p.150
Gerda Iro Gerdago was an Austrian theatrical costume designer and sculptor. Born in 1906 in Vienna, Gerdago received her art training and education in Paris between 1928 and 1929, working as an assistant to Oscar Strand. From 1931 to 1934, she studied as a theatrical designer and made costumes for the theatre production Femina. There she met Willy Forst, on whose first film she worked as a dresser.
After the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938, Gerdago lost her parents to a concentration camp, avoiding the same fate only because she was married to a non-Jew. She began to work again in 1947 for the Vienna Burgtheatre and the post-war cinema and continued her career in costume design for the Raymond Theatre in Vienna. Her sculptures from the Art Deco period are appreciated for their bold and expressive style and forms.
Sculptures like this were inspired by the performances of Anita Berber (1899-1928), a 1920s dancer and silent-film actress famous for her vivid erotic dance numbers and outrageous behaviour. Another source of inspiration was the Diaghilev Ballet.
After the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938, Gerdago lost her parents to a concentration camp, avoiding the same fate only because she was married to a non-Jew. She began to work again in 1947 for the Vienna Burgtheatre and the post-war cinema and continued her career in costume design for the Raymond Theatre in Vienna. Her sculptures from the Art Deco period are appreciated for their bold and expressive style and forms.
Sculptures like this were inspired by the performances of Anita Berber (1899-1928), a 1920s dancer and silent-film actress famous for her vivid erotic dance numbers and outrageous behaviour. Another source of inspiration was the Diaghilev Ballet.
