Antal Hekler
Encyclopedia
Antal Hekler was a Hungarian/German classical archaeologist
and art historian
. He was a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
.
in 1903 and then studied classical archaeology in München under Adolf Furtwängler
, where he wrote his second doctoral thesis, before he returned to his birthplace Budapest, where he first worked at the city’s national museum and later held a chair for Christian archaeology and history of art at the University of Bundapest.
He went on dedicating himself to ancient art, but also to Hungarian art history. On Hekler’s incitation the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts
purchased 135 Greek, Roman and Italian sculptures from the Munich collection of Paul Arndt
in 1908. Later another 650 terracotta sculptures were added from Arndt’s collection.
His book Die Bildniskunst der Griechen & Römer (“Greek and Roman Portraits”), published in Stuttgart
and London
in 1912 soon was to become a widespread standard work, also translated into other languages.
Classical archaeology
Classical archaeology is the archaeological investigation of the great Mediterranean civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Nineteenth century archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann were drawn to study the societies they had read about in Latin and Greek texts...
and art historian
History of art
The History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
. He was a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
.
Life
He wrote his doctoral thesis in political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1903 and then studied classical archaeology in München under Adolf Furtwängler
Adolf Furtwängler
Adolf Furtwängler was a famous German archaeologist, teacher, art historian and museum director. He was the father of the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler and grandfather of the German archaeologist Andreas Furtwängler....
, where he wrote his second doctoral thesis, before he returned to his birthplace Budapest, where he first worked at the city’s national museum and later held a chair for Christian archaeology and history of art at the University of Bundapest.
He went on dedicating himself to ancient art, but also to Hungarian art history. On Hekler’s incitation the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest)
The Museum of Fine Arts is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art.It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclectic-neoclassical style, between 1900 and 1906. The museum's collection is made up of international art , including all...
purchased 135 Greek, Roman and Italian sculptures from the Munich collection of Paul Arndt
Paul Arndt
Paul Julius Arndt was a German classical archaeologist who was a native of Dresden.He studied classical art under Johannes Overbeck at the University of Leipzig, and classical archeology with Heinrich Brunn at the University of Munich...
in 1908. Later another 650 terracotta sculptures were added from Arndt’s collection.
His book Die Bildniskunst der Griechen & Römer (“Greek and Roman Portraits”), published in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1912 soon was to become a widespread standard work, also translated into other languages.
Publications
- Die Bildniskunst der Griechen & Römer, Hoffmann, Stuttgart 1912
- A Klasszicizmus jelentősége és térfoglalása az ókori művészetben, A budavári tudományos társaság, Budapest 1921
- Die Kunst des Phidias, Hoffmann, Stuttgart 1924
- Die Sammlung antiker Skulpturen, Krystall, Vienna 1929 (Die Budapester Sammlungen. Die Antiken in Budapest, Abt. 1)
- Budapest als Kunststadt, Lindner, Küssnacht 1933
- Die Universität Budapest, Lindner, Basel 1935
- Ungarische Kunstgeschichte, Mann, Berlin 1937
- Bildnisse berühmter Griechen, Kupferberg, Berlin 1940 (3. edition, expanded by Helga von Heintze 1962)
Further reading
- Wolfgang Schiering: Anhang. In: Reinhard Lullies, Wolfgang Schiering (edd.) Archäologenbildnisse. Porträts und Kurzbiographien von Klassischen Archäologen deutscher Sprache. Zabern, Mainz 1988, ISBN 3-8053-0971-6, S. 331.