The catalogue for the exhibition at the MAK (Austrian Museum for Applied Art/Contemporary Art in Vienna) focuses on two fundamental approaches of the Moderne movement in an antithetic comparison, including the preceding history and after-effects to this day: Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) and Adolf Loos (1870-1933) represent opposing reactions to the basic problems of modern civilization, which were triggered by the process of industrialization and democratization. Two different concepts for a modern way of life were created: Hoffmann promoted a comprehensive aestheticization of all spheres of life, while Loos interpreted architecture and design as the functional background for the development of individual personalities.
In 16 essays, well-known European and American experts investigate a wide range of contributing conditions and the highlights and consequences of these two traditions of the Moderne movement, from the 19th century to the present. The key works of Hoffmann and Loos - as well as those of their predecessors such as Otto Wagner, and successors such as Josef Frank - are richly illustrated.