With “Josef Hoffmann. A Continuous Process,” the MAK starts an exhibition series in the house where Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) was born in Brtnice in the Czech Republic that is scheduled to span several years. As co-founder of the “Vereinigung bildender Künstler Österreichs – Secession,“ the Wiener Werkstätte, and the “Österreichischer Werkbund,” Hoffmann had a decisive influence on modern Viennese design. The first presentation will elucidate the importance of drafting and drawing for architecture and design in Josef Hoffmann’s oeuvre for the first time.

The exhibition will include original designs from all creative periods: the show assembles early architectural visions revealing Otto Wagner’s influence and sketches from a tour to Italy in 1895/96 as well as Secessionist designs and drawings from the early days of the Wiener Werkstätte and the years between WWI and WWII. Reproductions of the artist’s designs in publications such as “Der Architekt” or “Ver Sacrum” illustrate that Hoffmann’s talents as a draftsman were appreciated.

Another focus of the presentation is the translation of Josef Hoffmann’s designs. In the Wiener Werkstätte, the designs were realized in close collaboration with skilled craftsman in the beginning. Depending on the material, external manufacturers were commissioned for furniture, ceramics, and glass. Drawings from the Wiener Werkstätte Archives and the Works on Paper Collection of the MAK reveal the close relationship between Josef Hoffmann and his customers who often were both financiers and clients of the Wiener Werkstätte. Comprising detailed designs for arts and crafts products produced by Viennese firms such as Josef Böck, Ludwig Lobmeyr, or Johann Backhausen and architectural drafts, the exhibition pursues leitmotifs running through Hoffmann’s oeuvre of drawings and manifold design tasks.

Curator Rainald Franz, MAK Library and Works on Paper Collection