Search

The Austrian Museum of Art and Industry, the first of its kind on the European continent, gave equal status to domestic crafts from the provinces and the cosmopolitan luxuries of the Habsburg dynasty. The museum was thus assigned the task of forging a cohesive imperial identity, becoming the tool with which Austria-Hungary could assert itself as an effective imperial power, both locally and globally. By considering three significant exhibitions in the first 50 years of the museum's history - the Vienna World's Fair in 1873, the exhibition of Austrian Cottage Industry and Folk Art in 1905, and the exhibition that accompanied the 9th International Housing Conference in 1910 - this article investigates Austria's transition from the classic model of mid-nineteenth-century imperialism to a uniquely pan-regional empire focused on notions of domesticity and cultural preservation, turning ultimately to the Socialist concerns that would form the basis of the post-imperial Austrian state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Adolf Loos is now celebrated as an early critic of ornament and as a prophet of modernity. But he is rarely recognized for his equally innovative lighting layouts. Like his later inclusion of the Raumplan and his use of sumptuous materials, Loos’ lighting designs captured the essence of his design philosophy and replaced the need for ornament. In contrast to his Viennese counterparts, who used lighting as another means of decoration, he explored the functional role natural and artificial lighting could play in an interior. His forays into lighting design coincided with a period in his career when he was working almost exclusively on interior renovations. His tool palette was limited; lighting provided him a means to enhance the functionality and depth of his designs. In the Café Museum, the Kärntner Bar and the first Goldman and Salatsch shop, Loos revealed himself to be a designer capable of managing light and manipulating reflectivity to enhance his interiors and create spaces that were warm and inviting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] more...