Robert Hammerstiel, *1933 in Vršac (Werschetz), Serbia. †2020 in Neunkirchen, Austria.

Robert Hammerstiel was an Austrian painter, printmaker specialized on woodcut. After traumatic childhood experiences in the Second World War, Hammerstiel developed an independent artistic language that spanned several decades. In the late 1950s he began studying art in Vienna and quickly became involved in the art scene. Inspired by study trips through Europe, the Middle East and the USA, Hammerstiel experienced Pop Art in New York in 1988, which shaped his image concept. His abstracted figures, often without facial expression, are reduced in posture and movement, overlap, and tell stories through their relationship to each other and the environment. Urban landscapes reflect space, atmosphere and composition. In addition to painting, Hammerstiel worked particularly in the woodcut technique. His extensive work has been exhibited worldwide and he has received numerous national and international awards. His design of Vienna’s Ringturm in 2007 was particularly impressive, when he covered the building with a 4,000 square meter painting. In 2010, Werschetz opened a museum in honor of the artist.