Luigi Kasimir

Luigi Kasimir (1881–1962) was an Austro-Hungarian-born etcher, painter, printmaker and landscape artist.

Kasimir was born in 1881 at Pettau, today Ptuj, Slovenia, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. He inherited his talent from his ancestors; his grandfather was a painter and a poet, and his father an officer in the Habsburg army, who later became a professional painter. Kasimir attended the Vienna Academy of Art where he studied under Wilhelm Unger, who introduced him to the technique of the coloured etching, and also to his future wife, the artist Tanna Hoernes. He died in 1962 in Grinzing, a suburb of Vienna.

Kasimir was among the first to develop the technique of the coloured etching. Before this, prints were usually hand-coloured with the colour being applied in a casual, haphazard manner. Kasimir would first create a sketch—usually in pastel. He then transferred the design on as many as four to six plates, printing one after the other and applying the colour on the plate—all done by hand.

Kasimir is mainly famous for his etchings, but he also produced some oil painting, as well as some pastels. One of his favourite genres was the landscape, or veduta. He demonstrated a predisposition for monuments, street scenes, and tourist landmarks. He depicted places from all over Europe, mainly Italy, Austria, and Germany. He also travelled to the United States to do a series of etchings of famous sights ranging from urban landmarks such as New York City skyscrapers to natural wonders like Yosemite Valley. Luigi Kasimir’s etchings can be seen in many galleries and museums, from the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art to countless galleries and fine print collections around the world.

He designed a bookplate for Sigmund Freud, who also hung an etching of the Roman Forum by Kasimir in his consulting room.