Rix, Kitty

Josef Franz Maria Hoffmann papers, ca. 1895-ca. 1950 by Josef Franz Maria Hoffmann ( )
in German and held by 1 library worldwide
A broad range of manuscript writings drawn from Hoffmann's personal papers, 1898-1938 but especially strong in his writings for public presentations, 1924-1932. The material documents the concepts Hoffmann developed in dealing with the ". . . conflicting impulses of his time: tradition and innovation, conservatism and progress, the countryside and the city, craftsmanship and industrialization, decoration and functionalism" (Jane Kallir, 1986). Furthermore it shows Hoffmann's intense involvement in the fate of the Wiener Werkstätte and the Kunstgewerbeschule, Vienna, his interest in art and architectural education and his involvement in the arts and crafts movement. The collection also includes a minor portion of the architect's correspondence and about 195 photographs of objects designed by Hoffmann and other members of the Wiener Werkstätte after 1919, some printed material and ephemera and a single set of architectural drawings. After Hoffmann's death these papers passed to his friend and biographer, Leopold Wolfgang Rochowanski. The rare book dealer Oscar Schreyer wrote English summaries for many of the letters and manuscripts in this archive; these are filed with the originals.