Otto Prutscher (1880–1949) was an architect and designer, an exhibition designer, teacher, and member of all the important arts and crafts movements—from the Secession to the Werkbund.
20.11.2019—11.10.2020
MAK Permanent Collection Contemporary Art
Prutscher was one of the first students of the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts. Being taught by Josef Hoffmann and the painter Franz Matsch clearly left its mark on Prutscher’s designs: this is evident in both their high-quality draftsmanship and their constant alignment with prevailing architectural trends.
 
Prutscher’s known oeuvre comprises over 50 buildings, almost 50 exhibitions, some 170 interiors, 300 interior designs, and more than 200 pieces and sets of furniture. His designs were executed by over 200 companies, above all the Wiener Werkstätte and firms like Backhausen or Augarten.
 
70 years after Prutscher’s death, this exhibition explores his complex creative work and his role in the development of Viennese Modernism. The show was inspired by the collector Hermi Schedlmayer’s generous gift of 139 designs, objects, and furniture by Prutscher.
 
Curator: Rainald Franz, Curator, MAK Glass and Ceramics Collection
Tour of the exhibition OTTO PRUTSCHER. Designer of Viennese Modernism, read by Vincent Lyssewski | Headphones can be purchased at the MAK Ticket Desk for € 1, soundcloud.com/makwien
Accompanying publication to the exhibition: Otto Prutscher: Universal Designer of Viennese Modernism (MAK Studies 26), edited by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and Rainald Franz. With contributions by Silvia Colombari, Claas Duit, Rainald Franz, Aline Müller, Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel, Beba Restelli, Elisabeth Schmuttermeier, and Christoph Thun-Hohenstein. German/English, 160 pages with numerous color illustrations. MAK, Vienna/Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart 2019. Available at the MAK Design Shop and online at MAKdesignshop.at for € 39.10. The exhibition catalog is funded by the EU Program Art Nouveau.