Products Design: CF008

Although Josef Hoffman was born in Pirnitz, Moravia, he studied architecture in Vienna at the Academy of Fine Arts. He gained much of his inspiration from those he studied under, such as, Carl von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner, along with the cubic Italian country house he spent most of his days designing. He encompassed total design through most of his work.

In 1895, he won the Rome prize and joined Wagner’s office the following year. After establishing his own office in 1898, he taught at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule from 1899 until 1936. He founded a group of revolutionary artists and architects, known as the Vienna Secession. His support was demonstrated through his writings and exhibitions for the Ver Sacrum magazine.

Hoffman’s later works mark him as a precursor of the Modern Movement. These projects introduced an expression of grids and squares, and exhibited clarity and simplicity, which he was well known for.