JOSEF HOFFMANN

1870–1956

“There are two kinds of artists: those who rationally construct and systematically develop something and the others who are moved by inspiration—I tend to prefer the inspired.”

(Josef Hoffmann, RAVAG-Interview, 1923)

Josef Hoffmann in Koloman Moser’s studio on seating furniture Hoffmann designed, 1898 © private

Friedrich V. Spitzer, Josef Hoffmann, 1903 © MAK

Postcard, Lithography © MAK

Josef Hoffmann in Koloman Moser’s studio on seating furniture Hoffmann designed, 1898 © private

Friedrich V. Spitzer, Josef Hoffmann, 1903 © MAK

Postcard, Lithography © MAK

Early years

Josef Hoffmann’s long life spanned more than eight decades of which he spent at least six active as an artist. He lived and worked in five political systems and influenced hundreds of designers to the present day while always remaining true to his high creative standards.

But who was this well-dressed man with a mustache and pince-nez?

Josef Hoffmann was an architect and “all-round designer”—a term he really lived up to. He was an innovator, conscious of tradition, and, as we would maybe call him nowadays, an entrepreneur of his times.

House of birth in Brtnice © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

House of birth in Brtnice © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

Born as a citizen of the monarchy into a relatively stable “world of yesterday,” Hoffmann spent his youth in Brtnice in today’s Czech Republic. His house of birth, which he later redesigned as a summer residence, has been preserved until today and can be visited as a museum

Interior Josef Hoffmann Museum, Brtnice © Michaela Dvorakova

Interior Josef Hoffmann Museum, Brtnice © Michaela Dvorakova

At the age of almost ten, his path led him to secondary school in Brno. Hoffmann was traumatized by the authoritarian school system but his interest in art and architecture soon awoke. At the age of 19, after family disputes, he managed to change to the architecture department at the State Technical School where he also passed his school leaving examination.

Students at the State Technical School in Brno, Josef Hoffmann standing on the far right, 1889 © Josef Hoffmann Museum, Brtnice

Students at the State Technical School in Brno, Josef Hoffmann standing on the far right, 1889 © Josef Hoffmann Museum, Brtnice

After one year as an architecture intern in Würzburg, he began his studies at the age of 22 at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. This was the starting point of his new life. Everything would change in this metropolis of the empire—Vienna was a vibrant city that was beginning to replace its weir system and city wall by educational institutions, museums, theaters, and administrative buildings.

View facing the south-west, from the Hauptzollamt (main customs office) between museum and Franz-Josephs-Kaserne (Franz Josephs barracks) to today’s Luegerplatz, 1898 © ÖNB, Erwin Pendl

View facing the south-west, from the Hauptzollamt (main customs office) between museum and Franz-Josephs-Kaserne (Franz Josephs barracks) to today’s Luegerplatz, 1898 © ÖNB, Erwin Pendl

Hoffmann’s studies were classically aligned with the high level of excellence required for the Ringstaße project—entirely in the sense of revisiting and implementing historical styles. His professor, Carl Freiherr von Hasenauer, was one of the most important and busiest architects of this boulevard. Two years into Hoffmann’s studies, Hasenauer died and Otto Wagner took over his position.

Professor Otto Wagner

became Hoffmann’s intellectual mentor, he was the great innovator and pioneer in Vienna. With projects like the Stadtbahn, the regulation of the Vienna River, apartment buildings, and, of course, the famous Postal Savings Bank, he rightfully earned the title “Father of Modernity.”

Otto Wagner and Josef Hoffmann, 1911 © MAK

Otto Wagner and Josef Hoffmann, 1911 © MAK

Besides Hoffmann, Wagner’s students and admirers included Adolf Loos, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Max Fabiani, and Rudolph M. Schindler.

Wagner prioritized function, design was to emerge from it. This applied to architecture as well as every object designed by him—following the principle “FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.”

JH, chair from the dining hall of Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, 1904 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, chair from the dining hall of Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, 1904 © MAK/Georg Mayer

This principle would also have a lasting impact on Hoffmann, and in many of his objects we can find Wagner’s influence: in design work oriented towards reduction, flat décors, as well as a high level of functionality and simplicity.

Sonja Knips’s villa, street view shortly after completion, 1926 © MAK

Sonja Knips’s villa, street view shortly after completion, 1926 © MAK

JH, book cover, Wiener Werkstätte, Levant Morocco leather, gold embossing ca. 1910/14 © MAK

JH, book cover, Wiener Werkstätte, Levant Morocco leather, gold embossing ca. 1910/14 © MAK

JH, table for the living room in Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein’s apartment, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, table for the living room in Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein’s apartment, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, table for the living room in Dr. Salzer’s apartment, 1902 © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

JH, table for the living room in Dr. Salzer’s apartment, 1902 © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

JH, pepper and paprika box, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, pepper and paprika box, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, centerpiece for Dr. Hermann Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, centerpiece for Dr. Hermann Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, samovar owned by Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1909 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, samovar owned by Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1909 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, vase, executed by Ludwig Moser & Söhne, Karlovy Vary, for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1923; footed dish, executed by a Bohemian manufactory for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1922 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, vase, executed by Ludwig Moser & Söhne, Karlovy Vary, for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1923; footed dish, executed by a Bohemian manufactory for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1922 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, wine glass from the series “Patrician,” 1917 © Peter Kainz/MAK

JH, wine glass from the series “Patrician,” 1917 © Peter Kainz/MAK

JH, clock, 1904; flower basket, 1906; plant stand, 1905, all executed by the Wiener Werkstätte © Dr. E. Ploil Collection

JH, clock, 1904; flower basket, 1906; plant stand, 1905, all executed by the Wiener Werkstätte © Dr. E. Ploil Collection

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JH, table for the living room in Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein’s apartment, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, table for the living room in Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein’s apartment, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, table for the living room in Dr. Salzer’s apartment, 1902 © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

JH, table for the living room in Dr. Salzer’s apartment, 1902 © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

JH, pepper and paprika box, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, pepper and paprika box, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, centerpiece for Dr. Hermann Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, centerpiece for Dr. Hermann Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1905 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, samovar owned by Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1909 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, samovar owned by Dr. Hermann and Lyda Wittgenstein, Wiener Werkstätte, 1909 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, vase, executed by Ludwig Moser & Söhne, Karlovy Vary, for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1923; footed dish, executed by a Bohemian manufactory for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1922 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, vase, executed by Ludwig Moser & Söhne, Karlovy Vary, for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1923; footed dish, executed by a Bohemian manufactory for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1922 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, wine glass from the series “Patrician,” 1917 © Peter Kainz/MAK

JH, wine glass from the series “Patrician,” 1917 © Peter Kainz/MAK

JH, clock, 1904; flower basket, 1906; plant stand, 1905, all executed by the Wiener Werkstätte © Dr. E. Ploil Collection

JH, clock, 1904; flower basket, 1906; plant stand, 1905, all executed by the Wiener Werkstätte © Dr. E. Ploil Collection

Progress Through Beauty

This is the title of the exhibition at the MAK on show from 15 December 2021 to 19 June 2022.

JH, library stepladder for Karl Wittgenstein, private collection © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, library stepladder for Karl Wittgenstein, private collection © MAK/Georg Mayer

This telling title was also indicative of Hoffmann’s approach to design—everything was to be BEAUTIFUL to him and the goal of modernity, a new modern human, was always in the focus of the designer.

“Instinctively, we wished to move away from the copying of old styles, firmly determined to develop a form of purpose and beauty.”

(Josef Hoffmann, Autobiography, 1948)

JH drawing during his trip to Italy, 1896 © Josef Hoffmann Museum, Brtnice

JH drawing during his trip to Italy, 1896 © Josef Hoffmann Museum, Brtnice

 “Hopefully soon here too the time will come that wallpaper, paintings on ceilings, as well as furniture and practical objects are not ordered from retailers but rather from artists.”

This can be read in his essay “Architektonisches von der Insel Capri” [Architectural Matters from the Island of Capri] from 1897. And it was exactly what happened: In 1903, Josef Hoffmann together with his friend the painter Koloman Moser and financier Fritz Waerndorfer founded the Wiener Werkstätte (WW). Waerndorfer’s role in this venture should not be underestimated as he was much more than only a financier. He was manager, agent, advocate of this movement, as well as a client himself.

Josef Hoffmann and Fritz Waerndorfer with the first silver object produced by the WW, 1903 © MAK

Josef Hoffmann and Fritz Waerndorfer with the first silver object produced by the WW, 1903 © MAK

Work program of the Wiener Werkstätte © MAK

Work program of the Wiener Werkstätte © MAK

“…WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE CLOSE CONTACT BETWEEN THE PUBLIC, THE DESIGNERS, AND THE CRAFTSPEOPLE AND PRODUCE GOOD-QUALITY, SIMPLE HOUSEHOLD UTENSILS. WE BEGIN WITH THE PURPOSE, SERVICEABILITY IS OUR FIRST REQUIREMENT. OUR STRENGTH SHOULD LIE IN GOOD CONDITIONS AND GOOD TREATMENT OF MATERIALS. WHERE POSSIBLE, WE WILL AIM TO DECORATE BUT WITHOUT COMPULSION AND NOT AT ANY PRICE…”

 (from the work program of the Wiener Werkstätte, 1905)

In the exhibition catalogue Christian Witt-Dörring phrases it as follows:

„The WW represents a sustainable, artisanally produced, identity-forming, local product with individual artistic expression—values that had been invoked by the Arts & Crafts movement in England from the 1850s to counter the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution.“

JH, tea set, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, tea set, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, shop of the Wiener Werkstätte on the Graben, 1907 © MAK

JH, shop of the Wiener Werkstätte on the Graben, 1907 © MAK

The Wiener Werkstätte was the key project in Hoffmann’s long life. All of his past and future successes and setbacks were closely linked to the brand Wiener Werkstätte and its influence.

JH, design and executed pendant, 1907 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

JH, design and executed pendant, 1907 © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen

When the Wiener Werkstätte finally had to close down after 29 years, this was also the end of an era that was irretrievably lost despite numerous attempts by Hoffmann to sustain it.

JH, shop of the Wiener Werkstätte in Berlin, 1929, from the magazine Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration © MAK

JH, shop of the Wiener Werkstätte in Berlin, 1929, from the magazine Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration © MAK

JH, pattern design, 1913 © National Gallery Prague

JH, fabric Theben, 1910 © MAK

JH, pattern design, 1913 © National Gallery Prague

JH, fabric Theben, 1910 © MAK

Hoffmann was not only a professor at the School of Arts and Crafts, to which he had been appointed in 1900 to teach the “architecture class” but also an independent architect, entrepreneur, and artistic director of the WW as well as the inventor of cross-genre modern art exhibitions.

JH, central hall of the Werkbundausstellung at the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry (today’s MAK), 1930 © ÖNB, picture archives

JH, central hall of the Werkbundausstellung at the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry (today’s MAK), 1930 © ÖNB, picture archives

As of 1900, this new form was realized in the exhibitions of the Secession as well as the Kunstschau and later also at the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry (AMAI, today’s MAK). For the first time, sculptures and paintings were equal to objects of daily use like textiles, glasses, furniture, and entire interiors.

JH, reconstruction of the “Boudoir for a Great Star,” presented at the Paris World Fair 1937, executed in the restoration workshop of the MAK © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, reconstruction of the “Boudoir for a Great Star,” presented at the Paris World Fair 1937, executed in the restoration workshop of the MAK © MAK/Georg Mayer

This formed a wide field of activity that could easily be combined. Hoffmann employed the most talented students from the School of Arts and Crafts and landed numerous commissions for the Wiener Werkstätte from the Viennese bourgeoisie—from flatware to an architectural Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art).

JH, Stoclet House, 1920, from the Dutch magazine Wendingen © MAK

JH, Stoclet House, 1920, from the Dutch magazine Wendingen © MAK

This fruitful combination of artistic workers and financially strong clients made it possible in the first place to also finance own projects such as the famous Cabaret Fledermaus.

JH, Wiener Werkstätte postcard no. 67, Cabaret Fledermaus, theater, 1907 © MAK

JH, Wiener Werkstätte postcard no. 67, Cabaret Fledermaus, theater, 1907 © MAK

The Gesamtkunstwerk

Josef Hoffmann was influenced by the spirit of the era of the Ringstraße and aspired to infuse all areas of life with good and beautiful art and to merge all sectors of art to one harmonic entity as advocated by the Secessionists. In doing so, he advanced into bourgeoisie areas of life.

Based loosely on Hermann Bahr, Hoffmann’s aspirations are founded on three ideas, which were inspired by the British all-rounder William Morris, the Parisian gallery owner Siegfried Bing, and the Belgian architect Henry van de Velde:

Craftspeople are to become artists, artists are to become craftspeople, and all elements of a room must match harmonically.

JH, Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, façade, 1905 © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

JH, Stoclet House, 1905–1911 © MAK

JH, Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, façade, 1905 © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK

JH, Stoclet House, 1905–1911 © MAK

Already in 1904, the Wiener Werkstätte received its first commission and was able to implement its great dream of a Gesamtkunstwerk. Based on plans by Josef Hoffmann and commissioned by the Jewish industrialist Victor Zuckerkandl, Sanatorium Westend in Purkersdorf was constructed, a luxurious Kurhaus built around a mineral spring.

JH, dining hall at Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, 1904 © MAK

JH, dining hall at Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, 1904 © MAK

Clarity, radical simplicity, and cubic forms are the parameters Hoffmann consequently developed together with Koloman Moser: from the exterior—in collaboration with constructor Eduard Ast—to the interior to the smallest decorative and technical detail of this reinforced concrete construction.

JH, Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, entrance hall, 1904, from the magazine Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration © MAK

JH, Sanatorium Westend, Purkersdorf, entrance hall, 1904, from the magazine Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration © MAK

Shortly after, the dream continued. The Belgian industrialist Adolphe Stoclet wanted to build an impressive villa on the Hohe Warte in Vienna’s 19th district. The land had already been bought but family circumstances forced Stoclet to return to Brussels. Therefore, Stoclet House, which has been preserved until today, was not built in Vienna but on Avenue de Tervueren in Brussels.

The Stoclet family’s financial means enabled Hoffmann to plan more elaborately, luxuriously, and exquisitely than elsewhere. Without an agreement by Fritz Waerndorfer to execute construction and furnishing for a lump sum of 500,000 Kronen, not only Hoffmann but the entire Wiener Werkstätte would have got into less difficulties. The costs of the Stoclet House project ended up being three times higher than estimated.

JH, bathroom at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, bathroom at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

1905–1911, numerous artists of the WW, such as Carl Otto Czeschka, Richard Luksch, and Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel, as well as Gustav Klimt with his design for the mosaic in the dining room, worked on this “first (and last) modern bourgeois palace,” as phrased by Matthias Boeckl. Here, the unity of the arts—the aim at the time—was given its harmonic manifestation. The garden, the pergola, the porch, as well as the entire outer area were integrated into the Gesamtkunstwerk.

JH, Stoclet House, Brussels © Alan John Ainsworth

JH, Stoclet House, Brussels © Alan John Ainsworth

JH, Stoclet House, living area looking toward the fountain bay, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, Stoclet House, living area looking toward the fountain bay, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, music hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, music hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, dining hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, dining hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, breakfast room at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, breakfast room at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, nursery at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, nursery at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, master bedroom at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, master bedroom at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, Palais Stoclet, model view and garden perspective, before summer 1906 © MAK

JH, Palais Stoclet, model view and garden perspective, before summer 1906 © MAK

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JH, Stoclet House, Brussels © Alan John Ainsworth

JH, Stoclet House, Brussels © Alan John Ainsworth

JH, Stoclet House, living area looking toward the fountain bay, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, Stoclet House, living area looking toward the fountain bay, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, music hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, music hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, dining hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, dining hall at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, breakfast room at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, breakfast room at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, nursery at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, nursery at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, master bedroom at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, master bedroom at Stoclet House, 1914, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, Palais Stoclet, model view and garden perspective, before summer 1906 © MAK

JH, Palais Stoclet, model view and garden perspective, before summer 1906 © MAK

As of 1907, a further major project was added. Cabaret Fledermaus on the corner of Kärntner Straße and Johannesgasse was taken on and adapted and furnished following the ideas of the Wiener Werkstätte and its founders.

JH, bar area at Cabaret Fledermaus, Vienna, 1907 © MAK

JH, bar area at Cabaret Fledermaus, Vienna, 1907 © MAK

Here too, everything was dictated: interior, furniture, flatware, dishware, and—to perfect the holistic approach—also the content of the program as well as the culinary program.

JH, WW postcard no. 75, bar area “CABARET FLEDERMAUS, WIEN, KÄRNTNERSTRASSE 33,” Vienna, 1907 © MAK

JH, WW postcard no. 75, bar area “CABARET FLEDERMAUS, WIEN, KÄRNTNERSTRASSE 33,” Vienna, 1907 © MAK

In addition to these three outstanding pieces of work, Josef Hoffmann implemented a multitude of “smaller” houses and villas and redecorated numerous apartments.

JH, Skywa-Primavesi villa, Vienna, 1913 © MAK

JH, Skywa-Primavesi villa, Vienna, 1913 © MAK

JH, Primavesi country house in Winkelsdorf/Kouty nad Desnou, Moravia, 1913/14, from the magazine Dekorative Kunst, Munich © MAK

JH, Primavesi country house in Winkelsdorf/Kouty nad Desnou, Moravia, 1913/14, from the magazine Dekorative Kunst, Munich © MAK

JH, Fritz Grohmann’s house, Würbenthal/Vrbno pod Pradêdem (ČSR), 1920/21 © MAK

JH, Fritz Grohmann’s house, Würbenthal/Vrbno pod Pradêdem (ČSR), 1920/21 © MAK

JH, Prof. Pickler’s villa, Budapest, 1909 © MAK

JH, Prof. Pickler’s villa, Budapest, 1909 © MAK

JH, duplex for Moser and Moll on the Hohe Warte, Vienna, 1900/01, from the magazine Der Architekt 1908 © MAK

JH, duplex for Moser and Moll on the Hohe Warte, Vienna, 1900/01, from the magazine Der Architekt 1908 © MAK

JH, Eduard Ast’s country house, Aue near Velden at Lake Wörther, 1923/24 from the magazine Innendekoration, Darmstadt © MAK

JH, Eduard Ast’s country house, Aue near Velden at Lake Wörther, 1923/24 from the magazine Innendekoration, Darmstadt © MAK

JH, duplex for the Kaasgraben villa colony, 1912/13 © MAK

JH, duplex for the Kaasgraben villa colony, 1912/13 © MAK

JH, Dr. Richard Beer-Hofmann’s house, Vienna, 1905/06 © MAK

JH, Dr. Richard Beer-Hofmann’s house, Vienna, 1905/06 © MAK

JH, Ast villa, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen, 1913 © MAK

JH, Ast villa, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen, 1913 © MAK

Invitation to visit the Wiener Werkstätte and Hoffmann houses, 1923 © MAK

Invitation to visit the Wiener Werkstätte and Hoffmann houses, 1923 © MAK

JH, living room in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, living room in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, kitchen in Dr. Henneberg’s house, 1900/01, from the magazine Das Interieur, 1903 © MAK

JH, kitchen in Dr. Henneberg’s house, 1900/01, from the magazine Das Interieur, 1903 © MAK

JH, living room in Paul Wittgenstein’s apartment, 1915–1917 © Michael Huey and Christian Witt-Dörring

JH, living room in Paul Wittgenstein’s apartment, 1915–1917 © Michael Huey and Christian Witt-Dörring

JH, seating in the living room of Dr. Johannes and Johanna Salzer’s apartment, 1902, from the magazine Das Interieur 1903 © MAK

JH, seating in the living room of Dr. Johannes and Johanna Salzer’s apartment, 1902, from the magazine Das Interieur 1903 © MAK

JH, dining room in Max Biach’s house, 1902/03, from the magazine Art et Décoration, 1904 © MAK

JH, dining room in Max Biach’s house, 1902/03, from the magazine Art et Décoration, 1904 © MAK

JH, bedroom in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, bedroom in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, dining room in Fritz Waerndorfer’s house, 1902 © MAK

JH, dining room in Fritz Waerndorfer’s house, 1902 © MAK

JH, design drawing for the dining room of the Knips villa, 1924/25, from the magazine The Studio, 1929 © MAK

JH, design drawing for the dining room of the Knips villa, 1924/25, from the magazine The Studio, 1929 © MAK

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JH, Skywa-Primavesi villa, Vienna, 1913 © MAK

JH, Skywa-Primavesi villa, Vienna, 1913 © MAK

JH, Primavesi country house in Winkelsdorf/Kouty nad Desnou, Moravia, 1913/14, from the magazine Dekorative Kunst, Munich © MAK

JH, Primavesi country house in Winkelsdorf/Kouty nad Desnou, Moravia, 1913/14, from the magazine Dekorative Kunst, Munich © MAK

JH, Fritz Grohmann’s house, Würbenthal/Vrbno pod Pradêdem (ČSR), 1920/21 © MAK

JH, Fritz Grohmann’s house, Würbenthal/Vrbno pod Pradêdem (ČSR), 1920/21 © MAK

JH, Prof. Pickler’s villa, Budapest, 1909 © MAK

JH, Prof. Pickler’s villa, Budapest, 1909 © MAK

JH, duplex for Moser and Moll on the Hohe Warte, Vienna, 1900/01, from the magazine Der Architekt 1908 © MAK

JH, duplex for Moser and Moll on the Hohe Warte, Vienna, 1900/01, from the magazine Der Architekt 1908 © MAK

JH, Eduard Ast’s country house, Aue near Velden at Lake Wörther, 1923/24 from the magazine Innendekoration, Darmstadt © MAK

JH, Eduard Ast’s country house, Aue near Velden at Lake Wörther, 1923/24 from the magazine Innendekoration, Darmstadt © MAK

JH, duplex for the Kaasgraben villa colony, 1912/13 © MAK

JH, duplex for the Kaasgraben villa colony, 1912/13 © MAK

JH, Dr. Richard Beer-Hofmann’s house, Vienna, 1905/06 © MAK

JH, Dr. Richard Beer-Hofmann’s house, Vienna, 1905/06 © MAK

JH, Ast villa, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen, 1913 © MAK

JH, Ast villa, from the magazine Moderne Bauformen, 1913 © MAK

Invitation to visit the Wiener Werkstätte and Hoffmann houses, 1923 © MAK

Invitation to visit the Wiener Werkstätte and Hoffmann houses, 1923 © MAK

JH, living room in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, living room in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, kitchen in Dr. Henneberg’s house, 1900/01, from the magazine Das Interieur, 1903 © MAK

JH, kitchen in Dr. Henneberg’s house, 1900/01, from the magazine Das Interieur, 1903 © MAK

JH, living room in Paul Wittgenstein’s apartment, 1915–1917 © Michael Huey and Christian Witt-Dörring

JH, living room in Paul Wittgenstein’s apartment, 1915–1917 © Michael Huey and Christian Witt-Dörring

JH, seating in the living room of Dr. Johannes and Johanna Salzer’s apartment, 1902, from the magazine Das Interieur 1903 © MAK

JH, seating in the living room of Dr. Johannes and Johanna Salzer’s apartment, 1902, from the magazine Das Interieur 1903 © MAK

JH, dining room in Max Biach’s house, 1902/03, from the magazine Art et Décoration, 1904 © MAK

JH, dining room in Max Biach’s house, 1902/03, from the magazine Art et Décoration, 1904 © MAK

JH, bedroom in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, bedroom in Ing. Brauner’s house, 1905 © MAK

JH, dining room in Fritz Waerndorfer’s house, 1902 © MAK

JH, dining room in Fritz Waerndorfer’s house, 1902 © MAK

JH, design drawing for the dining room of the Knips villa, 1924/25, from the magazine The Studio, 1929 © MAK

JH, design drawing for the dining room of the Knips villa, 1924/25, from the magazine The Studio, 1929 © MAK

JH, design for a printed fabric for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1909 © Backhausen Archive

JH, silverware for Fritz and Lili Waerndorfer, 1904–1908 © Aslan Kudrnofsky/MAK

JH, preliminary design for the housing complex Klosehof, 1923–1925 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna | photographs: JH, sample rooms for the houses for the municipality of Vienna, 1927 from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

JH, design for a printed fabric for the Wiener Werkstätte, 1909 © Backhausen Archive

JH, silverware for Fritz and Lili Waerndorfer, 1904–1908 © Aslan Kudrnofsky/MAK

JH, preliminary design for the housing complex Klosehof, 1923–1925 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna | photographs: JH, sample rooms for the houses for the municipality of Vienna, 1927 from the magazine Moderne Bauformen © MAK

Exhibitions

A further area Hoffmann was active in was designing exhibitions—he was a pioneer in this field. The curators of the exhibition phrase it as follows in the catalog:

“Hoffmann himself was the inventor of the cross-genre modern art exhibition on the basis of a consistent aesthetic ideal. From 1900 it was successfully presented time and again in the form of the novel Raumkunst (or “room art,” i.e. interior design as a work of art) as an example of a comprehensive artistic life reform.”

JH, design of room V at the 8th Secession exhibition, 1900 © Carl Saitz/Künstlerhaus-Archiv

JH, design of room V at the 8th Secession exhibition, 1900 © Carl Saitz/Künstlerhaus-Archiv

From the Paris World’s Fair in 1900 to various Secession and Kunstschau exhibitions, Werkbund and Christmas exhibitions at the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry to his curated exhibitions in the 1950s in Venice, this field formed a further constant in Hoffmann’s oeuvre.

JH, long hall of the Austrian pavilion at the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, Paris, 1925 © MAK

JH, long hall of the Austrian pavilion at the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, Paris, 1925 © MAK

JH, Austrian pavilion at the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, inner courtyard, Paris, 1925 © MAK

JH, Austrian pavilion at the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, inner courtyard, Paris, 1925 © MAK

To this day, the Austrian pavilion (1934) in Venice is a symbolic reminder of its creator and the unity of the arts. Furthermore, Hoffmann also influenced the content of the program due to his function as a commissioner of the Biennale for many years.

JH, Austrian pavilion at the Venice Biennale at its opening, 1934 © MAK

JH, Austrian pavilion at the Venice Biennale at its opening, 1934 © MAK

JH, Austrian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, 1934 © MAK

JH, Austrian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, 1934 © MAK

Decorative Arts

In addition to all of these challenges, Hoffmann held a lifelong passion for decorative arts. After all, he designed, developed, and created seemingly endless amounts of objects in this field. His artistic response to industrial mass production was serial production.

JH, tea and coffee set, executed by Alexander Sturm, 1902 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, tea and coffee set, executed by Alexander Sturm, 1902 © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, fabric pattern Jagdfalke [Gyrfalcon] and Kohleule [Cabbage Moth] on pattern cards of the Wiener Werkstätte, 1910–1915 © MAK/Nathan Murrell

JH, fabric pattern Jagdfalke [Gyrfalcon] and Kohleule [Cabbage Moth] on pattern cards of the Wiener Werkstätte, 1910–1915 © MAK/Nathan Murrell

The outbreak of World War I slowly but very fundamentally changed the living conditions. Strong patriotism was promoted and Hoffmann, who himself never had to go to war, designed patriotic war glasses for the WW as well as war cemeteries and monuments.

JH, war glass, Wiener Werkstätte, 1914 © MAK/Kristina Wissik

JH, war glass, Wiener Werkstätte, 1914 © MAK/Kristina Wissik

The war was noticeable in the entire Reich in many different ways. In the WW, a lack of material and work force became evident. This is probably also the reason why the artists’ workshop was founded in 1916 and was given a new image mostly by the women artists of the Wiener Werkstätte.

Vally Wieselthier, Gudrun Baudisch, and Kitty Rix in the ceramics workshop of the WW, 1928 © University of Applied Arts Vienna, Collection and Archive, photo: Mario Wiberaz

Vally Wieselthier, Gudrun Baudisch, and Kitty Rix in the ceramics workshop of the WW, 1928 © University of Applied Arts Vienna, Collection and Archive, photo: Mario Wiberaz

Social Housing

The changing political situation required flexibility and adaptation to new tasks and clients. Sporadically, Hoffmann was still commissioned by wealthy Jewish clients but having the social democratic city administration in Vienna as a client became, not only for him, a decisive factor to be able to continue working as an architect—a challenge Hoffmann had to face.

JH, housing complex for the municipality of Vienna, Klosehof, Philippovichgasse, courtyard, 1923–1925 © MAK

JH, housing complex for the municipality of Vienna, Klosehof, Philippovichgasse, courtyard, 1923–1925 © MAK

Progress and beauty do not always equal luxury. Everybody should be entitle to it, also under poor conditions—this was the challenge for architects in the inter-war period. Due to the many standards dictated by the city concerning the dimensions, decorative art elements became particularly important. The social democratic Viennese politicians valued the aesthetics of beauty and wanted the residents to identify with it.

JH, housing complex for the municipality of Vienna, Klosehof, portal sculptures by Anton Hanak, views of the courtyard, 1923–1925 © private

JH, housing complex for the municipality of Vienna, Klosehof, portal sculptures by Anton Hanak, views of the courtyard, 1923–1925 © private

JH, design for the hanging lamp in the courtroom, Haus der Wehrmacht [House of the Armed Forces], Vienna, 1940 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna

JH, Haus der Wehrmacht [House of the Armed Forces], Vienna, 1940, wall decoration in the ceremonial hall © Kunsthandel Widder, Wien

Reich Youth Leadership, Committee for the Creation of Hitler Youth Centers, questionnaire for architects, Josef Hoffmann, 1938, Austrian State Archives, Archives of the Republic, Gauakt Josef Hoffmann, No. 4892 p. 2 © Austrian State Archives

JH, design for the hanging lamp in the courtroom, Haus der Wehrmacht [House of the Armed Forces], Vienna, 1940 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna

JH, Haus der Wehrmacht [House of the Armed Forces], Vienna, 1940, wall decoration in the ceremonial hall © Kunsthandel Widder, Wien

Reich Youth Leadership, Committee for the Creation of Hitler Youth Centers, questionnaire for architects, Josef Hoffmann, 1938, Austrian State Archives, Archives of the Republic, Gauakt Josef Hoffmann, No. 4892 p. 2 © Austrian State Archives

Austrofascism and National Socialism

The war years including their consequences were challenging times and also tarnished the image of the genius who had designed so much for Austria’s cultural heritage. The “fragmentation of the old world” and the reorganization of Europe after World War I also left deep traces in Hoffmann’s life.   

R. Lechner (Wilhelm Müller), Josef Hoffmann, 1931 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna

R. Lechner (Wilhelm Müller), Josef Hoffmann, 1931 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna

In the “Christian Ständestaat [Corporative State]” or Autrofascism under Engelbert Dollfuß, the catholic church became the most important client for artists and architects. Hoffmann, who was Protestant, was only able to profit from this on a limited scale.

Hans Bichler, poster for the exhibition Das befreite Handwerk [Liberated Handicraft], ÖMKI, 1934 © MAK

Hans Bichler, poster for the exhibition Das befreite Handwerk [Liberated Handicraft], ÖMKI, 1934 © MAK

JH, showcase and arm chair for the exhibition Das befreite Handwerk at the AMAI, 1934 © MAK/G. Nimatallah; MAK/Nathan Murrell

JH, showcase and arm chair for the exhibition Das befreite Handwerk at the AMAI, 1934 © MAK/G. Nimatallah; MAK/Nathan Murrell

The construction of the Austrian pavilion in Venice falls exactly into this period. Although Hoffmann was internationally renowned and won the newly announced competition, he was not aligned enough with the regime for the execution. Consequently, Hoffmann himself didn’t see the building before 1938. After structural damages appeared he was evidently furious and wrote in a letter in 1936:

JH, The Austrian pavilion in Venice at its opening on 12 May 1934, courtyard side © MAK

JH, The Austrian pavilion in Venice at its opening on 12 May 1934, courtyard side © MAK

“From this it can be learned that with such an important building that is in constant competition with other nations, beyond drawing plans the architect must on all accounts be in charge of overseeing construction and contracting the construction company. As in the realization of my plans I was not entrusted with overseeing the construction, and not even with inspecting the building upon completion, I must abdicate any responsibility.”

During National Socialism, the tide seemed to turn for Hoffmann. Even though he rarely spoke up politically, he knew how to navigate the different political conditions. Due to good connections to the Viennese city administration first lucrative projects like the reconfiguration of the German embassy into the Haus der Wehrmacht [House of the Armed Forces] arose.

JH, design for the Haus der Wehrmacht, 1940 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna

JH, design for the Haus der Wehrmacht, 1940 © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna

JH, “Das Haus der Wehrmacht. Bemerkungen zum Umbau” [The Haus der Wehrmacht. Comments on the reconstruction], 1939/40, from the magazine Die Pause © MAK

JH, “Das Haus der Wehrmacht. Bemerkungen zum Umbau” [The Haus der Wehrmacht. Comments on the reconstruction], 1939/40, from the magazine Die Pause © MAK

Hoffmann, however, in many regards underestimated the unscrupulousness of the Nazi regime. In a letter to Carl Otto Czeschka he wrote somewhat naively:

 “The WW’s small collection in the municipal gallery was naturally smeared as degenerate, as were our very good modern galleries. All that will of course be set straight once people have had time to have second thoughts.”

Josef Hoffmann used and cultivated his connections in a time of social upheaval. He neither took up the cudgels for old friends nor questioned the new regime. He rather tried to entirely adapt to it to be able to continue working as an artist. Apparently, however, the National Socialists never really trusted Hoffmann and the relationship remained ambivalent.

JH, detail of the wall light for the Haus der Wehrmacht. It is interesting to see how Hoffmann turns the swastika into an ornament band, 1940, private collection © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, detail of the wall light for the Haus der Wehrmacht. It is interesting to see how Hoffmann turns the swastika into an ornament band, 1940, private collection © MAK/Georg Mayer

The Gauakt [gau file] states the following on Hoffmann:

“In a technical regard he is an advocate of modern art and not sympathetic to art of a National Socialist tendency. His artistic outlook is international. He therefore associated a great deal with Jews prior to the changes [i.e., the Anschluss] as he was also a member of the Wiener Werkstätte, which was utterly Judaized. […] He is a Sudeten German, has behaved indifferently in a political regard and only discovered his German heart after the changes.”

And it also seems to have dawned on Hoffmann that not “all we be set straight again.” In 1942, he wrote to his friend Carl Otto Czeschka:

“The tendency in the school is to eradicate and neutralize every memory of our proficiency. My exhibition for my 70th birthday was proscribed and almost banned. […] Nevertheless, I am still alive though I have not a single commission or any big job.”

Portrait of Josef Hoffmann, Vienna, after 1945, photo: Yoichi R. Okamoto © MAK

Josef Hoffmann, 1954, photo: Yoichi R. Okamoto © MAK

Portrait of Josef Hoffmann, Vienna, after 1945, photo: Yoichi R. Okamoto © MAK

Josef Hoffmann, 1954, photo: Yoichi R. Okamoto © MAK

Later Years

In the time after Austria’s liberation, Hoffmann became a member of the executive and supervisory boards of the Österreichische Werkstätten, a reestablishment of the “Kunsthandwerkverein” that had been strongly influenced by National Socialism. He therefore again possessed a structure of organization that enabled him to continue working the way he was used to.

JH, box, executed by Rudolf Bojanovski for the Österreichische Künstlerwerkstätte, 1950 © MAK/Nathan Murrell

JH, box, executed by Rudolf Bojanovski for the Österreichische Künstlerwerkstätte, 1950 © MAK/Nathan Murrell

Furthermore, he again worked for the municipality of Vienna, constructed housing complexes, and planned some unrealized private houses.

Design for a housing complex for the municipality of Vienna, 1952 © bpk/Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum/Art Resource, NY/Matt Flynn

Design for a housing complex for the municipality of Vienna, 1952 © bpk/Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum/Art Resource, NY/Matt Flynn

In 1950, Hoffmann was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize as well as some more international tributes and awards. He became commissioner of the Biennale, was the President of the Vienna Secession for some time, and worked for and with manufactories like Augarten Porzellan, Backhausen, and J. & L. Lobmeyr, which all continue to produce his wonderful designs to this day.

JH, designs for a drinking glass set, ca. 1950, J. & L. LOBMEYR © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, designs for a drinking glass set, ca. 1950, J. & L. LOBMEYR © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, designs for a drinking glass set, ca. 1950, J. & L. LOBMEYR © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, designs for a drinking glass set, ca. 1950, J. & L. LOBMEYR © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, designs for a drinking glass set, ca. 1950, J. & L. LOBMEYR © MAK/Georg Mayer

JH, designs for a drinking glass set, ca. 1950, J. & L. LOBMEYR © MAK/Georg Mayer

In the catalog of the exhibition at the MAK, Rainald Franz ends Hoffmann’s extensive biography as follows:

“He celebrates his 85th birthday in Stoclet House in Brussels and dies shortly after, on 7 May 1956, of a stroke in Vienna. Josef Hoffmann is laid to rest in a grave of honor designed by Fritz Wotruba in Vienna Central Cemetery.”

This was the end of a long life. Far beyond his death, Josef Hoffmann remains an icon of the 20th century. The MAK does not tire of presenting and processing this exceptional artist’s extraordinary ideas, achievements, and accomplishments. In this regard, we are looking forward to your visit!

The concept for this MAK.digiSTORY was created by Gabriele Fabiankowitsch and Thaddäus Stockert. It was implemented with the help of the curators of the exhibition, Christian Witt-Dörring, Matthias Boeckl, and Rainald Franz, as well as Thomas Matyk, MAK Reproduction and Photos Department.

Translated by Christina Anderson

The MAK.digiSTORY is part of the project ATCZ264 – JH Neu digital / JH Nově digitální and was cofinanced by EFRE funds from the European Union (INTERREG V-A Austria – Czech Republic).


For school classes and everybody young at heart, we designed a leaflet on Josef Hoffmann. Simply download, print in A3 format and cross-fold.