Josef Hoffmann

(Austrian, 1870–1956)

Josef Hoffmann was an Austrian architect and industrial designer. Adhering strictly to equilateral geometry, Hoffmann's designs include all manner of consumer goods, spanning items such as dinnerware, tapestries, furniture, and lighting fixtures. A prolific and multidisciplinary visionary, he also designed multiple landmark buildings, including the Sanatorium Purkersdorf in Vienna. Born on December 15, 1870 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hoffmann graduated with honors from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 1895. While a student, he studied under renowned Austrian architect Otto Wagner, and subsequently joined the Vienna Succession in 1897 along with other leading artists like Joseph Maria Olbrich and Gustav Klimt. Hoffmann's extensive pantheon of designs is considered quintessentially representative of 20th-century architecture, and his contributions have been critically lauded for generations since his death in Vienna, Austria on May 7, 1956.