Art in Public Spaces Bert Flugelman
Herbert 'Bert' Flugelman (1923 – 26 February 2013) was a prominent Australian visual artist who had many of his works publicly displayed. He is known for his stainless steel geometric sculptures.Flugelman was born in Vienna, Austria in 1923 and migrated to Australia in 1938 when he was 15 years old. It was on the eve of World War II. From 1943 to 1946 Flugelman served in the Australian army (non combative duties) and from 1948 to 1951 he studied at the National Art School in Sydney.
From 1951 to 1955 he travelled to Europe including a visit in 1954 to Spain with his artist friend John Copnall. In 1952 he contracted polio which left him with a mobility disability. However, this did not stop him holding several successful exhibitions at the Piccadilly Gallery in London and the Barone Gallery in New York before returning to Australia in 1955.From 1972 to 1983, Flugelman was a lecturer at the South Australian School of Art, and subsequently became Head of Sculpture. During this period he completed some of his most famous work, in particular Festival Sculpture 1974, Spheres 1977 and Cones at the National Gallery of Australia in 1982.
