The house in which Josef Hoffmann was born, in Brtnice (Pirnitz), near Jihlava, exhibits samples of design by this leading exponent of the Vienna Secession. As of 11 May, the present exibition will be closed due to the preparation of a new long-term exhibition Josef Hoffmann: Inspirations, opening on 14 June 2009.
Josef František Maria Hoffmann was born in Brtnice on 15 December 1870. After grammar school in Jihlava and graduating from the Technical College in Brno, Hoffmann did a year’s building practice. He was then admitted to the Vienna Academy, where he studied architecture under Karl von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner.
Hoffmann finished his academy studies with a trip to Italy in 1896, as the winner of the prestigious Prize of Rome awarded by the Vienna Academy. In 1897 he participated in the foundation of the Vienna Secession, together with Gustav Klimt and other artists. Hoffmann designed a large number of the group’s famous exhibitions, in Austria and elsewhere, as well as exhibition pavilions later; both brought him renown and many awards.
A milestone in Hoffmann’s career was the establishment of the Wiener Werkstätte workshop (1903-1932), with Koloman Moser, artist and designer, and the industrialist Fritz Wärndorfer. Hoffmann created a wide range of designs for the workshop, from tableware and fashion accessories to sizeable furniture. He often employed the products in the interiors that he designed.
Hoffmann’s first major commission was the Purkersdorf Sanatorium, near Vienna (1904) which he designed completely, right down to the equipment. This kind of comprehensive approach came to be known as Gesamtkunstwerk. Hoffmann’s greatest achievement in the same spirit was the Palais Stoclet in Brussels (1905-1911), followed by, among others, the Skywa-Primavesi Villa (1913-1915) and the house of Sonja Knips in Vienna (1924).
He frequently worked in the Czech lands. As early as 1903 Hoffmann designed a guest-house for the Poldi Kladno ironworks, later a “fairy-tale” mansion for the Primavesi family in Kouty nad Desnou (1914), a house for Sigmund Berl in Bruntál (1919) and a house for Franz Grohmann in Vrbno pod Pradědem (1920).
After the death of his parents, Hoffmann turned to the interior design of his native house in Brtnice (1907-1911). He designed new furniture and had the rooms redecorated in bright colours, as has been revealed in the course of a recent reconstruction of the building. This, too, is worthy of note, together with the exhibits on display.
Hoffmann had a substantial influence on the decorative arts in the early 20th century, not only in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy but also beyond its borders. He left his mark upon most of the branches of the applied arts, designing glass, porcelain, metalwork, jewellery, furniture, textiles, and more. From the simple geometrical patterns towards which he had inclined at the beginning of the century, Hoffmann turned to masterful, rich ornamentation and designs demonstrating his brilliant imagination. A great many of these are still alive today, thanks to companies like Augarten, Backhausen, Lobmeyr and Wittmann.
Josef Hoffmann died in Vienna on 7 May 1956. His artistic views influenced a whole generation of artists in Central Europe, particularly in Vienna, and will continue to inspire.
The exhibition in Josef Hoffmann’s house was prepared by the Friends of Josef Hoffmann Society.
Josef Hoffmann Society