Josef Hoffmann

By 1900, Vienna was a hub for architects like Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956), a founding member of the Vienna Secession, a radical anti-historicist movement. He helped launch art exhibitions and societies, including the Wiener Werkstätte, blending industrial age principles with British Arts & Crafts inspiration. Hoffmann favoured abstract, geometric forms, believing design should support structural principles. Educated under Otto Wagner at the Vienna Academy, he designed several villas and a sanatorium in a “cubistic” style between 1901 and 1905. His work significantly influenced the Art Deco movement, solidifying his status as a key figure in early 20th-century decorative arts.