Olga Anhalzer Fisch ( Budapest, 1901- Quito, December 30, 1990 [1]) was a Bauhaus artist, rug maker, art collector, and gallery owner. [2] Her work is in the collection of the United Nations and has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, Lincoln Center, and The Textile Museum. [2] [3]
Her collection of Ecuadorian art and artifacts was featured in the Renwick Gallery's 1981 exhibition, A Feast of Color: Corpus Christi Dance Costumes of Ecuador. [4]
Fisch, who was Jewish, fled Hungary due to Nazi persecution. She and her husband, Bela, settled in Ecuador in 1939 and opened the gallery, Olga Fisch Folklore, in 1942. [2]
Fisch was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1901 and lived in the town of Győr, Hungary. [5]
As a child, she collected folk art from Hungarian villages. [6]
Fisch was Jewish. [5]
Fisch worked painting ceramics in Vienna, Austria and went on to study painting in Dusseldorf, Germany where she met her first husband, Jupp Rubsam. The couple later divorced. [5] [6]
Fisch and her second husband, Bela, fled Hungary due to Nazi persecution. In 1939, they settled in Quito, Ecuador where Fisch taught at the Quito School of Art. [6]
Fisch became interested in Ecuadorian culture and began collecting folk art created by Indigenous Ecuadorian artisans. [2]
She designed rugs inspired by Ecuadorian culture. The rugs were produced by local weavers. [3]
Three months after The Fisches arrived in Quito, they were visited by Lincoln Kirstein of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Kirstein purchased a rug from Fisch for $300. The couple used the money to open their gallery, Olga Fisch Folklore, where they sold Fisch's works as well folk art and other pieces produced by local artisans. [2]
Fisch compensated the craftspeople who worked for her, as well as the artisans whose worked she sold, with a living wage. [5]
As of 2023, Olga Fisch Folklore, also known as simply Olga Fisch or Folklore is still in operation. [7]
Fisch died in Ecuador on December 30, 1990. [5]
United Nations, Handwoven Ecuadorean Rugs, Acquired February 20, 1956