- Fritz Abplanalp
Fritz Abplanalp (1907 - 1982) was a Swiss woodcarver.
Born in Switzerland, at 18 years of age, after completing a three-year curriculum in woodcarving, he answered an advertisement to work on the interior of the Episcopalian Convent of the Transfiguration in
Glendale, Ohio . In 1935, he was recruited by the department storeS. and G. Gump and Company to come toHawaii and produce hand carved souvenirs. He carved wooden perfume containers, screens, trays, lamps, and figural sculptures for sale in the store, and also produced special-order woodworking for homes and commercial interiors. In 1939, he won the grand prize at aHonolulu Academy of Arts exhibition.In 1942, with the war rendering Hawaii’s tourism nonexistent, he joined the faculty of
Kamehameha Schools to teach woodworking and drafting. He retired fromKamehameha Schools in 1968, and died in 1982. TheHonolulu Academy of Arts holds work by Fritz Abplanalp.References
* Blackburn, Mark A., "Hawaiiana, The Best of Hawaiian Design", Atglen, Pennsylvania, Schiffer Pub., 2001, 227.
* Severson, Don R., "Finding Paradise, Island Art in Private Collections", University of Hawaii Press, 2002, 206-213.
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