The Cultural Work of Artist Gertie Fröhlich: (In)visibility in Viennese Post-war Histories

Abstract

This article brings visibility to the life and exploits of Viennese artist Gertie Fröhlich. Her story illustrates the obstacles women cultural workers encountered during the post-war period. The contribution reveals how Fröhlich, to side-step these gendered obstacles, exerted influence through her relationships with male post-war cultural actors. Later in life, she finally achieved artistic success in her own right, both locally and abroad. Despite her many accomplishments, Fröhlich remains nearly invisible in prevailing post-war cultural histories. This article speaks to her relative obscurity while exploring the reasons behind it.

Keywords

• Vienna
• art
• post-war cultural history
• gender
• Gertie Fröhlich