In 1945 Fritz Wotruba returned to his war-ravished native city of Vienna, having fled to Switzerland during World War II. Countering the uncertainty of the time, he emphasized clarity, uncompromising rigor, radicalization, and the avoidance of beauty, as well as the need for increased concentration. He also worked to reclaim the figure for art, after more than two decades during which figurative realism was manipulated to support fascist and Nazi ideals. “The human figure, now as much as ever,” he stated in 1959, “remains for me the starting point of my work; it stands at the beginning and will stand at the end.” Wotruba’s work progressed from blocky figurative forms—such as Man Walking, which strides confidently forward, despite its bulky mass—to slender columnar figures and, by the 1960s, vertical constructions. 

Throughout his career, Wotruba maintained deep ties with artists, architects, composers, and philosophers, often acting as a nexus for artistic and intellectual communities. Among his pupils was Josef Pillhofer. Works by both artists were acquired by Storm King co-founder Ralph E. Ogden early in the Art Center’s history.