!!!Wiener Werkstätte

Wiener Werkstaette (Viennese Workshops), association of artists 
founded in 1903 by Josef  Hoffmann and Kolo  Moser as "Wiener 
Werkstaette GmbH" on the model of the Arts and Crafts Movement in 
England and Scotland. It tried to achieve a renewal of art on the 
basis of quality craft products in connection with the Wiener 
Kunstgewerbeschule and the Vienna  Secession. It made Vienna the 
centre of a new culture of taste, especially in the field of 
Industrial Arts. The studio, which was used as a school and production 
facility, was financed by F. Waerndorfer until 1914, later by O. and 
M. Primavesi. It had to close down for financial reasons in 1932. The 
great success enjoyed at times by its art products led to the opening 
of several shops in Vienna and to the foundation of branches abroad 
(Karlsbad 1909, Marienbad and Zurich 1916/17, New York 1922, Berlin 
1929). The product line of the Wiener Werkstaette comprised all areas 
of home decor and lifestyle, from architecture to small utensils, and 
was influenced by the elevated art of decoration of the late 
Classicistic Biedermeier period. It managed to overcome the luxuriant 
Jugendstil ornamentation and concentrate on simple 
geometrical-abstract shapes, which decisively influenced 20%%sup th/% 
century Industrial Art. The Palais Stoclet in Brussels was built 
1905-1911 according to drafts by J. Hoffmann; the entire project was 
carried out by the Wiener Werkstaette and remained one of the few 
Gesamtkunstwerks of the first half of the 20%%sup th/% century. 
Exhibitions were held annually from 1908 and experimental summer 
theatre performances were staged, which caused a sensation. Many of 
the most famous art personalities of the turn of the century designed 
and produced for the Wiener Werkstaette, including G.  Klimt, O.  
Kokoschka, E.  Schiele, C.  Moll, D.  Peche, E. J. 
Wimmer-Wisgrill, F.  Zuelow, C. O.  Czeschka, O.  Prutscher, C.  
Witzmann, L.  Forstner, O.  Haerdtl, L. H.  Jungnickel, R.  
Luksch, O.  Strnad und R.  Teschner.

!Literature
Die Wiener Werkstaette. Modernes Kunsthandwerk von 
1903-1932, exhibition catalogue, Vienna 1967; W. Neuwirth, Wiener 
Werkstaette Keramik, 1981; T. Hansen, Die Postkarten der Wiener 
Werkstaette, 1982; W. J. Schweiger, Die Wiener Werkstaette Kunst 
und Handwerk 1903-1932, 1982; W. Neuwirth, Wiener Werkstaette 
Avantgarde, Art Deco, Industrial Design, 1984; T. Hansen, Wiener 
Werkstaette Mode, Schmuck, Accessoires, 1984; A. Voelker, Wiener Mode 
und Modefotografie. Die Modeabteilung der Wiener Werkstaette 
1911-1932, 1984; G. Fahr-Becker, Wiener Werkstaette 1903-1932, 1994.


%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Wiener_Werkstätte|class='wikipage austrian']
%%

[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]