Wiener Werkstätte, 1903-1932 The Luxury of Beauty

The Wiener Werkstätte, founded by Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Fritz Waerndorfer, was an artists’ and craftsmen’s collective that existed in Vienna from 1903 until 1932. The artists’ goal was to bring high-quality design and craft into all areas of life and to elevate everyday objects into pieces of art. During that time, the collective produced items in a variety of media including ceramics, furniture, glass, jewelry, metalwork, and textiles. The Wiener Werkstätte style influenced generations of architects from Bauhaus to Art Deco. This book features the work of well-known Wiener Werkstätte members such as Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Dagobert Peche along with lesser known designers such as Gudrun Baudisch, Carl Otto Czeschka, and Ugo Zovetti. It also includes in-depth essays that explore the Wiener Werkstätte’s long history and legacy.

CHRISTIAN WITT-DÖRRING is a distinguished scholar in the field of Decorative Arts, who specializes in 19th and 20th century furniture and interior design history, and the Neue Galerie Curator of Decorative Arts. He is author of numerous books, including Josef Hoffmann Interiors: 1902–1913 (Prestel).