R.M. Schindler: The Prequel
Curated by Christian Witt-D枚rring of MAK Vienna, the MAK Center presents this exhibition exploring the intellectual climate in Vienna at the time of R.M. Schindler鈥檚 architectural training, and highlighting the trajectory connecting 19th century Europe with 20th century West Hollywood.
The Prequel contextualizes the landmark 1922 Kings Road House as a direct result of the debates playing out in Vienna Modernist circles from 1890鈥�1914, when Schindler was a student and young practitioner. Through photographs, drawings, and furniture designs, the exhibition reviews the foundations laid by Otto Wagner, as well as the next generation responses to his work as personified by Adolf Loos and Josef Hoffmann.
The exhibition is divided into four sections: the first focuses on R.M. Schindler鈥檚 (1887鈥�1953) Vienna years from 1887鈥�1914. As a student, Schindler took up civil engineering before attending Otto Wagner鈥檚 special school of architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts. Rebelling against the revival styles of Historicism, architects around 1900 created buildings based on a unity of form and function. The development of new materials and building techniques allowed Schindler to move beyond structural forces as the inspiration for architectural form. Throughout his career, however, he engaged the Viennese imperative to reconcile interior and exterior environments. A special feature in this section is a selection of drawings from Schindler鈥檚 early professional years.
Otto Wagner (1841鈥�1918) is the focus of the second section of The Prequel. His teachings emphasized the importance of the 鈥渦tility style,鈥� which took function as its impetus, rather than historical styles. Wagner felt the architect, who balanced idealism and realism, was the epitome of the modern man. He posited that architectural styles naturally evolve as technologies and lifestyles advance, and his modern point of view was reflected in notable works such as the Villa Wagner, Steinhof Church, and the Austrian Postal Savings Bank.
Although Adolf Loos (1870鈥�1933) only realized three buildings in Schindler鈥檚 Vienna years, his ideas were well known through published articles and his designs for public spots such as the Caf茅 Museum and the American Bar. The exhibition focuses on these, along with the commercial Goldman & Salatsch Building and the Steiner and Scheu houses. Loos adapted a rationalist approach to Modernism鈥� rather than foreground design, he preferred to let people鈥檚 individuality dominate an environment and derived spatial plans from the client鈥檚 needs. With his emphasis on space, Loos provided an important precedent for the young Schindler.
An advocate of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, Josef Hoffmann (1870鈥�1956) was a key figure of the Vienna Secession, along with Gustav Klimt and designer Koloman Moser. They denied any hierarchical distinction between fine and applied art and sought to create beautiful, integrated environments to counteract the negative effects of industrialization. In 1903, Hoffmann co-founded the Weiner Werkst盲tte, dedicated to the artistic design of everyday life. In buildings such as Sanatorium Westend and the Palais Stoclet, Hoffmann, as Schindler would soon do, began to divorce his designs from their structural elements, in favor of a spatial ambiguity.
R.M. Schindler: The Prequel is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of West Hollywood.
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Curated by Christian Witt-D枚rring of MAK Vienna, the MAK Center presents this exhibition exploring the intellectual climate in Vienna at the time of R.M. Schindler鈥檚 architectural training, and highlighting the trajectory connecting 19th century Europe with 20th century West Hollywood.
The Prequel contextualizes the landmark 1922 Kings Road House as a direct result of the debates playing out in Vienna Modernist circles from 1890鈥�1914, when Schindler was a student and young practitioner. Through photographs, drawings, and furniture designs, the exhibition reviews the foundations laid by Otto Wagner, as well as the next generation responses to his work as personified by Adolf Loos and Josef Hoffmann.
The exhibition is divided into four sections: the first focuses on R.M. Schindler鈥檚 (1887鈥�1953) Vienna years from 1887鈥�1914. As a student, Schindler took up civil engineering before attending Otto Wagner鈥檚 special school of architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts. Rebelling against the revival styles of Historicism, architects around 1900 created buildings based on a unity of form and function. The development of new materials and building techniques allowed Schindler to move beyond structural forces as the inspiration for architectural form. Throughout his career, however, he engaged the Viennese imperative to reconcile interior and exterior environments. A special feature in this section is a selection of drawings from Schindler鈥檚 early professional years.
Otto Wagner (1841鈥�1918) is the focus of the second section of The Prequel. His teachings emphasized the importance of the 鈥渦tility style,鈥� which took function as its impetus, rather than historical styles. Wagner felt the architect, who balanced idealism and realism, was the epitome of the modern man. He posited that architectural styles naturally evolve as technologies and lifestyles advance, and his modern point of view was reflected in notable works such as the Villa Wagner, Steinhof Church, and the Austrian Postal Savings Bank.
Although Adolf Loos (1870鈥�1933) only realized three buildings in Schindler鈥檚 Vienna years, his ideas were well known through published articles and his designs for public spots such as the Caf茅 Museum and the American Bar. The exhibition focuses on these, along with the commercial Goldman & Salatsch Building and the Steiner and Scheu houses. Loos adapted a rationalist approach to Modernism鈥� rather than foreground design, he preferred to let people鈥檚 individuality dominate an environment and derived spatial plans from the client鈥檚 needs. With his emphasis on space, Loos provided an important precedent for the young Schindler.
An advocate of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, Josef Hoffmann (1870鈥�1956) was a key figure of the Vienna Secession, along with Gustav Klimt and designer Koloman Moser. They denied any hierarchical distinction between fine and applied art and sought to create beautiful, integrated environments to counteract the negative effects of industrialization. In 1903, Hoffmann co-founded the Weiner Werkst盲tte, dedicated to the artistic design of everyday life. In buildings such as Sanatorium Westend and the Palais Stoclet, Hoffmann, as Schindler would soon do, began to divorce his designs from their structural elements, in favor of a spatial ambiguity.
R.M. Schindler: The Prequel is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of West Hollywood.
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