Heinrich Lefler 1863-1919

Heinrich Lefler, son of the Viennese painter and decorator Franz Lefler, began his artistic training under his father before enrolling in 1880 at the studio of Christian Griepenkerl at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. In 1884, he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich under Nikolaus Gysis and Wilhelm von Diez, consolidating a strong academic foundation.

Returning to Vienna, Lefler joined the Künstlerhaus in 1891, the society of Austrian artists, and immediately began collaborating with architect, decorator, and illustrator Joseph Urban, who became his brother-in-law in 1896 by marrying Lefler’s sister Mizzi. Together, they produced numerous book illustrations, including stories by Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, some of which have become iconic. Their collaboration extended into architecture, stage design for opera and theatre, and poster creation.

In 1900, Lefler and Urban were central to the founding of the Hagenbund, an avant-garde artists’ association that followed three years after the establishment of the Vienna Secession. That same year, Gustav Mahler recruited Lefler as assistant to Anton Brioschi at the Vienna Court Opera (today the Wiener Staatsoper). Lefler succeeded Brioschi in 1903, taking charge of the theater’s decoration while simultaneously teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, a post he held until 1910.

Lefler and Urban also collaborated on monumental events, including the Schiller-Fest procession of 1905 and the Imperial Jubilee celebrations of 1908, orchestrating elaborate visual and decorative spectacles. Through his work, Lefler bridged traditional academic painting, avant-garde illustration, and grand theatrical design, contributing significantly to Vienna’s cultural and artistic scene in the early 20th century.