Michael Powolny

Sculptor and Ceramic artist, born in Judenburg. He learned the pottery trade from his father. In 1891 he went to the painting school for the pottery industry in Znaim, then 1894 to the Vienna Industrial Arts School. In 1906 he founded with Bertold Loffler the workshop "Wiener Keramik", which also worked for the "Wiener Werkstatte". In 1912 Wiener Keramik was taken over by the "Gmundner Keramik" under the leadership of Powolny's pupil Franz Schleiss. In 1909 Powolny was appointed instructor of the ceramic industry class of the Vienna Industrial Arts School and in 1932 he became a sculptor at the school. (From Thieme-Becker Vol. XXVII p. 330)