The Wiener Werkstätte: Art, Luxury, and Beauty in Modern Vienna

The Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops), founded in 1903 by architect Josef Hoffmann, graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, and financier Fritz Waerndorfer, was a pioneering collective of artists, designers, and craftspeople based in Vienna, Austria. Emerging from the spirit of the Vienna Secession and closely aligned with the ideals of the British Arts and Crafts Movement, the Wiener Werkstätte endeavored to unite fine and applied arts by bringing outstanding design and meticulous craftsmanship to everyday life.

Members of the Wiener Werkstätte pursued the concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk—a total work of art—where every element of a space or lifestyle was aesthetically and functionally unified under a single design vision. Central to their philosophy was the belief that no object was too humble to be treated as art. This democratic approach led to the creation of a wide range of beautifully designed, handcrafted items, including furniture, ceramics, glassware, jewelry, textiles, fashion, and architecture.

A curatorial collaboration between the Lightner Museum and the Richard H. Driehaus Collection (Chicago, IL), The Wiener Werkstätte: Art, Luxury, and Beauty in Modern Vienna introduces audiences to one of the defining design movements of the early twentieth century.

The Wiener Werkstätte: Art, Luxury, and Beauty in Modern Vienna is supported in part by the Crisp-Ellert Fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, The St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, the St. Johns Cultural Council, and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.