Karl Duldig
- sculptor

"Karl Duldig brought to Australia European ideas and ideals and he has become a most cherished Australian artist."                                           Patrick McCaughey  1982

Born in Przemysl, Poland, in 1902, Karl Duldig moved to Vienna with his family in 1913. In his youth he was an outstanding sportsman, won the Austrian table-tennis championship, played international soccer and was a highly ranked tennis player.

In 1921, he became a student at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna where he worked for three years under the noted Austrian sculptor Anton Hanak. His work was chosen to represent the institute in major national and international exhibitions. In 1926 he became a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, and from 1929 to 1933 he was a member of the Academy's prestigious Master School in Sculpture under Professor Josef Müllner. After his graduation he shared a studio with Dr Arthur Fleischmann, worked on private commissions and exhibited in the Künstlerhaus and the Secession. Together with his wife, Slawa, and baby daughter Eva, Karl left Austria in 1938.

After a short period in Switzerland the family arrived in Singapore in 1939. There Duldig completed major commissions for the Sultan of Jahore and Aw Boon Haw, the Tiger Balm King. The eminent author and historian Robert Payne was his friend and among his patrons.  The Duldigs were evacuated to Australia in 1940.

Karl Duldig's professional achievements in Australia spanned many facets of the arts. He was Director of Art at Mentone Boys Grammar School from 1945 to1967;  founding and Honorary Life President of the Bezalel Fellowship of the Arts;  President of the Association of Sculptors of Victoria and Honorary Life Member from 1982.  In 1956 he won the Victorian Sculptor of the Year Award.

Duldig participated regularly in important group exhibitions, including the Mildura Sculpture Triennial, New Influences Newcastle, Olympic Games Melbourne, Adelaide Festival, and  Realities Sculpture Survey. From 1946 he was also a regular exhibitor with the Association of Sculptors of Victoria and solo shows in Australia included:
- the Outdoor exhibition with Tolarno Galleries in 1969,
- the Retrospective at the Hawthorn City Gallery in 1975, and
- the Survey exhibition at the McClelland Gallery in 1982-83.

Duldig is represented by significant works overseas as well as in Australia.  In the Melbourne metropolitan area examples of his work in public places are best seen at the City of Caulfield Municipal Offices;  Melbourne General Cemetery War Memorial;  Council House Little Collins Street;  Kadimah Cultural Centre  Elsternwick;   Kew Junction (Raoul Wallenberg Monument);  St Mary's Church  Altona.  In addition to The Duldig Studio, his work is held by major galleries in Australia including the Australian National Gallery, the Australian War Memorial and the National Gallery of Victoria and by private collectors in many parts of the world.