Franz died, suddenly and completely unexpectedly, on Sept. 18, 2021, shortly before his 67th birthday. He died of heart failure while vacationing in Italy. It was a shock that his wife, family and friends have been unable to fully overcome. 

Without Franz, we miss a man we loved and admired. 

Without Franz, we face a void in our lives that we can neither close nor overcome. 

Without Franz, we have lost his interesting conversation and enriching inspiration.

And we must do without new art works, which were always surprising and enriching for us. Yet, there remains a large collection of sketches, drawings, watercolors and paintings that reveal who and what he was. 

This Website documents what Franz left behind after his heart stopped beating. 

We have digitized all of Franz’s artworks to which we had access and have published them on this site. His lifework is divided into 10 categories:

Acrylic paintings (large)
Acrylic paintings (small)
Acrylic on paper
Watercolors
Early works
Mixed Media
Oil paintings
Ink on paper
Drawings on paper
Photographs

Through this Website, we want to remember everything, forgetting nothing:

Not Franz, the good person we so very much miss. And not his fascinating artworks, presented here as an impressive overview of his oeuvre. 

Agnes Ackerl & Michael Wakolbinger

Curriculum Vitae

Born Sept. 23, 1954, in Vienna, Austria

Died Sept. 18, 2021, in Ugento, Italy

Schooling and law studies in Vienna

Until he retired, Franz worked as a judge in the Vienna court of labor and social justice. 

The arts were his great passion and held his fascination throughout his life. 

Starting as a schoolboy, Franz was very creative, both in painting and handicrafts. Numerous pictures document his early talent (Link: Early Works).

Franz was an autodidact, who taught himself the basics of the fine arts; his main interests were painting, drawing and photography. An important aspect of his artistic development was his ability to learn and interpret for himself various techniques and ways of working with a variety of materials. 

His visual imagery was abstract. Franz painted with tremendous passion, allowing his emotions and moods free rein. He laid down several layers of colors and worked with contrasting colors. 

It was not just a powerful dynamic that gave his pictures a particular expression, but also the quieter inward-looking side of Franz that shone through.

Exhibits of his works were held in private.