This is an original color etching with aquatint by LuigiKasimir depicting the interior of an industrial metal pipe factory or foundry.Executed late in the artist’s career and dated in the plate “14.I.1953,” thecomposition represents a rare and compelling departure from Kasimir’s morefamiliar architectural and urban subjects, instead focusing on postwarindustrial labor and machinery.

The scene presents a complex interior filled with structural beams, heavymechanical equipment, and figures at work. Kasimir’s use of etched linecombined with aquatint and subtle color creates depth, atmosphere, and tonalvariation, capturing both the scale of the machinery and the human presencewithin the industrial environment. The composition reflects a mature hand and aconfident command of space and process.

This composition is not recorded in the standard Luigi Kasimir catalogues,suggesting a limited or privately circulated work. The notation “D.e.l.12” andthe etched date further support its status as a deliberate, late-periodimpression rather than a later reproduction.

The impression is strong and well preserved, with balanced color, crisp etcheddetail, and clean plate edges. Overall condition is excellent.

Paper size: 20.75” × 25.5”
Plate mark: 15.75” × 21”

About the Artist

Luigi Kasimir was an Austrian draftsman and printmaker whosecontributions to early twentieth-century color etching place him among the mostsignificant graphic artists of his generation. Trained at the Vienna Academy ofFine Arts under the influential etcher William Unger, Kasimir developed a rigorouscommand of line, perspective, and atmospheric detail that became the foundationof his mature work. Kasimir is best known for pioneering the use of multipleplates in color etching, a technique that allowed him to produce richly tonal,fully chromatic prints without resorting to later hand-coloring. For eachcomposition, he typically prepared four to six separate copper plates-one foreach hue-etching and inking them sequentially to achieve remarkable depth,precision, and chromatic harmony. This technical innovation distinguished hisprints within the broader revival of etching in Europe and the United Statesduring the first decades of the twentieth century. Throughout his career,Kasimir traveled extensively across Europe and, later, the United States,rendering major urban centers, architectural landmarks, and regional vistaswith exceptional clarity and sensitivity. His work combines documentaryaccuracy with an expressive interest in atmosphere, seasonal light, and thesubtle textures of the built environment. Today, Kasimir’s etchings occupy animportant place in the history of modern printmaking and remain widelycollected for their technical accomplishment, historical value, and enduringaesthetic appeal.