German/English, including numerous essays by international experts
336 pages
MAK Vienna/Birkhäuser Verlag
Basel 2015
Available at the MAK Design Shop, and online at www.MAKdesignshop.at
for € 39.60

WAYS TO MODERNISM

Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos, and Their Impact

Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Matthias Boeckl, and Christian Witt-Dörring

The catalogue accompanying the exhibition in the MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art highlights two central philosophies of Modernism in antithetical juxtaposition – along with their history and impact up to the present day. Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) and Adolf Loos (1870-1933) represent contrasting reactions to the basic problems of modern civilization, which were triggered by the processes of industrialization and democratization. This gave rise to two designs for modern lifestyles: Hoffmann wanted an encompassing aestheticization of all areas of life, while Loos interpreted architecture and design not as a stylistic challenge, but as a functional background for the unfolding of individual personalities.

Posted 3 January 2015

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In thematic essays, 16 renowned experts from Europe and the USA examine a broad panorama of preconditions, high points, and consequences of these two traditions of Modernism from the 19th century to the present. Generous plates illustrate not only key works by Hoffmann and Loos, but also by their predecessors and successors, such as Otto Wagner and Josef Frank, respectively.
Exposition WAYS TO MODERNISM: Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos, and Their Impact from 17/12/2014 through 19/4/2015

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