Franz Xaver Hauser, who came from a poor background, attended the woodcarving school in Elbigenalp, from which he graduated with honours. He then attended the Toni Kitchmayr painting and drawing school in Innsbruck in 1949/1950. Due to his talent, Kirchmayr recommended him to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he studied under Fritz Wotrruba and Herbert Boeckl from 1950 to 1954. After graduating in 1954, he worked as a freelance artist and lived in Vienna from 1958. From the 1960s onwards, he received several commissions for art objects for municipal buildings in Vienna.
Hauser undertook many study trips and had exhibitions in Munich, Trieste, Milan and Paris, among others. Franz Xaver Hauser mainly created sculptures in stone and wood, moving away from representationalism at an early stage. He is considered one of the first avant-garde artists from Tyrol.
He died in 1999 in his home village of Zams, which he loved to visit.
His works are an important contribution to the art history of Tyrol and reflect the cultural and social trends of his time.
Download the Franz Xaver Hauser Route folder here