Who influenced the style of the Wiener Werkstätte (WW) from the moment it was founded in 1903? Names that immediately come to mind are those of the great male artists Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Dagobert Peche. Yet, from the outset, women artists were also involved in the WW’s creations. Their number grew constantly until the company’s liquidation in 1932, and especially in the interwar years Mathilde Flögl, Maria Likarz, Felice Rix, or Vally Wieselthier defined the look of the WW with fantastic fabric patterns and expressive ceramics. In the course of our research, about 180 female artists were identified and approximately half of these are represented in this exhibition.

Educated at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts and employed at the WW by Hoffmann, the women designed fabrics, fashion, home accessories, toys, and commercial art and, in addition, also took over the field of ceramics where they were able to work purely artistically. Furthermore, they also developed exceptional murals for interiors—be it flats, restaurants, or exhibition spaces. Although highly recognized at their time, the women artists were mostly forgotten after the end of the WW. The catalog and exhibition want to give them a face and raise awareness for an oeuvre that was involved in constituting the unique position of the Wiener Werkstätte between Art Nouveau and Bauhaus.

Curator: Anne-Katrin Rossberg, Curator, MAK Metal Collection and Wiener Werkstätte Archive
Guest Curator: Elisabeth Schmuttermeier
Exhibition Design: Claudia Cavallar

AUDIO TOUR
Read by the acress Louise Prack
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