Wander Bertoni
(Codisotto, Italy, 1925 - 2019, Vienna, Austria)
Italian, Austrian
Wander Bertoni is an Italian-Austrian artist. He was born in the Italian province of Reggio Emilia and trained as a lathe operator and dental technician. He was transported to Vienna as a forced laborer in an armaments factory. During the worst days of World War II in Vienna he was hidden for protection in an artist’s studio, Maria Biljan-Bilger, where the exposure to artwork ‘saved his life.’ After the war, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria and worked as a professor at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.1 He is primarily known for his abstract sculptures.
His sculptures have been included in the Venice Biennale (both the national pavilion and an international exhibition), and the Bienal de Sao Paulo.