Bert Flugelman

Bert Flugelman was born in Vienna, Austria and arrived in Australia in 1938. He is considered one of most influential Australian sculptors of the twentieth century. He has lectured at the South Australian School of Art; National Art School, Sydney; University of Sydney; University of NSW and the University of Wollongong. In 1995 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Creative Art and in 1997 he received an Emeritus Award from the Australia Council’s Visual Arts Board. In 2007 he was awarded his Doctrate of Letters (honoris causa) from the University of New South Wales. Flugelman’s career summary consists of over fifty solo exhibitions and major public commissions, including Cones and Spheres at the National Gallery of Australia, Library Sculpture at Wollongong University and Slow Spiral at Queen’s Mall Plaza Brisbane.

Bert Flugelman’s work is held within many high profile public, corporate and private collections including, Adelaide Festival Centre; Art Gallery of South Australia; Commonwealth Law Courts; Comalco Collection; Geelong Art Gallery; Penrith Regional Gallery; Mildura Art Gallery; National Gallery of Australia; Orange Regional Gallery; Penrith Regional Gallery; Parliament House Art Collection; Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston; Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery; The University Gallery, Launceston; University of Adelaide; University of NSW; University of WA and the University of Wollongong.

Bert Flugelman is a prominent Australian visual artist best known for his large-scale stainless steel geometric sculptures. For almost five decades, Flugelman has been creating sculptures that having an impact on both our urban and rural environments. His work can be seen as a triumph of the human spirit — the dignified complex aspect that makes one marvel at the skill of creative practice.

‘A piece of sculpture has a reality of its own. It adds to the world in a sense. That appeals to me. There is a kind of finality about it and although I continued to paint, I am very drawn to the physical process of making sculpture’. Bert Flugelman