Altenburg lived and worked in Breitenschützing, in the municipality of Schlatt.[4] His first exhibition in Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (MAK) was Elemente, Objekte. Keramiken von Franz Josef Altenburg (curated by Christian Witt-Dörring) in 2001.[10] In 2021, Block, Haus, Turm, Gerüst, Rahmen (Block, house, tower, scaffolding, frame) was the name of the last MAK exhibition.[11] On the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2021, he was awarded the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.[3] An exhibition of his works was held at the Kaiservilla where he was born; titled Ton und Form (Clay and form), it showed 50 objects from his long career.[12] He died on 18 August 2021 at age 80.[3]
Awards
1972: Concorso internationale della Ceramica d’Arte contemporanea, Gold medal, Faenza, Italy[4]
Altenburg married Christa, Baronin von Haerdtl (Sankt Veit an der Glan, 29 January 1945) in Klagenfurt on 3 May 1969.[21] She was the daughter of Thomas, Baron von Haerdtl, and his wife Ilse von Burger-Scheidlin. They had four children:
Maria Caecilia[21] Elisabeth Therese Margarete, Princess of Altenburg (Gmunden, 2 April 1970), married in 2011 Peter Putschek; they have one daughter Maria Putschek (2012)
Augustin[21] Franz Josef Maria Clemens Georg Salvator, Prince of Altenburg (Gmunden, 27 October 1971 – Vienna, 22 July 2006), married in Neukirchen bei Lambach on 16 August 2003 Nikzad Zihai (Tehran, Iran, 28 July 1972), without issue
Amalia[21] Maria Elisabeth, Princess of Altenburg (Vöcklabruck, 13 January 1979), married in 2011 Fábio Coutinho Geraldo (Brazil)
Elisabeth[21] Maria Caecilia Amalia Katharina, Princess of Altenburg (Vöcklabruck, 9 June 1983), unmarried and without issue
Publications
Edition Cuturi (ed.), Franz Josef Altenburg – Keramik, Linz 1991, ISBN3-85358-103-X
Karl Muhr (ed.), Franz Josef Altenburg – Ein Leben für die Keramik, Neukirchen 2019, ISBN978-3-9504422-1-2
Alfred Weidinger, Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Rainald Franz (eds.), Franz Josef Altenburg – Ton und Form/Clay and Form, arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2021, ISBN978-3-89790-646-4