Die Überlebenden

Walther Gamerith prints bring the lakes, orchards and quiet interiors of interwar Austria into your home. Gamerith was an Austrian painter, trained at the Vienna Academy, who painted portraits, nudes and landscapes, especially around the Attersee lake in Upper Austria and his home town of Eggenburg. Our collection of fine art prints covers his Attersee landscapes in every season, flower still lifes, portraits of his wife Grete and friends, nude studies and Paris views.

About Walther Gamerith

Walther (also spelled Walter) Gamerith was born on 30 August 1903 in Eggenburg, Lower Austria. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Karl Sterrer, attending Sterrer's special school for painting from 1926, and left the Academy in 1930.

He then travelled in Europe. From 1934 he exhibited portraits, nudes and landscapes at the Vienna Künstlerhaus, which elected him a member in 1939. His subjects included scenes of Paris and Italy as well as studies of the Attersee and of Eggenburg. In 1939 he took part in an exhibition of Austrian art in Berlin, and in 1944 the Künstlerhaus held a solo show of 46 of his works. The Albertina in Vienna acquired several of his pieces.

Gamerith was also a photographer. In 1933–34 his family built a house at Unterbuchberg on the Attersee, designed by the architect Ernst Plischke. Known as the "Haus am Attersee", it was the area's first flat-roofed house and won Plischke the Austrian State Prize in 1935; it is now a protected monument. Gamerith died in Vienna on 10 August 1949, aged 45.

Style and Subjects

Gamerith painted in a calm, realist manner, with firm drawing and a gentle, natural palette. His landscapes record the countryside around the Attersee through the year: Unterbuchberg in winter and early spring, cornfields and harvest time, blossoming fruit trees and lakeshores.

He was equally drawn to people: portraits of his wife Grete, his brother Bruno, friends and children, self-portraits from 1928 to 1948, and many nude studies. The collection also includes flower still lifes with peonies and roses, Paris views of the Quai d'Anjou from 1935, a carousel scene, Christmas pictures and his late composition Die Überlebenden (The Survivors).

Famous Works

• Self-Portrait (1928). An early self-portrait from his years at the Vienna Academy.
• View from the Quai d'Anjou in Paris (1935). A Paris river view from his European travels.
• Ringelspiel (Carousel) (1935). A lively fairground scene from the mid-1930s.
• Unterbuchberg im Winter I (1940). The village on the Attersee where his family's house stood, under snow.
• Erntezeit (Harvest Time) (1940). Harvest in the countryside around the Attersee.
• Self-Portrait with His Wife Grete (1943). A double portrait of the painter and his wife.
• Die Überlebenden (The Survivors) (1948). A late figure composition painted after the Second World War.

Decorating with Gamerith Prints

Gamerith's Attersee landscapes are peaceful and easy to live with. Unterbuchberg im Winter I suits a living room or bedroom in the colder months, while Frühling am Attersee or Blühende Obstbäume bring a fresh, spring feeling to a kitchen or sunroom.

His flower still lifes, such as Stillleben mit Pfingstrosen, are a natural fit for a dining room or entryway. The portraits and nude studies, with their quiet mood, work well in a bedroom, study or dressing room.

FAQ

Who was Walther Gamerith?

Walther Gamerith (1903–1949) was an Austrian painter from Eggenburg, trained at the Vienna Academy under Karl Sterrer. He painted portraits, nudes and landscapes, especially around the Attersee, and was a member of the Vienna Künstlerhaus.

What did Walther Gamerith paint?

His subjects included the Attersee and its villages, Eggenburg, Paris and Italy, portraits of his family and friends, nudes and flower still lifes.

What is the Haus Gamerith?

It is the house the Gamerith family built at Unterbuchberg on the Attersee in 1933–34, designed by the architect Ernst Plischke. The first flat-roofed house in the area, it won Plischke the Austrian State Prize in 1935 and is now a protected monument.

Where can I see Gamerith's work?

The Albertina in Vienna acquired several of his works, and he exhibited regularly at the Vienna Künstlerhaus from 1934, including a solo show of 46 works in 1944.

Related Artists

• Karl Sterrer: his teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna