Josef Hoffmann was a pioneering Austrian architect, designer and one of the most influential figures in early modern design. Born in Brtnice, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna under the celebrated architect Otto Wagner, graduating with distinction in 1895.
That same year, he joined Wagner’s practice and quickly became involved in the progressive artistic circles reshaping fin-de-siècle Vienna.
A founding member of the Vienna Secession in 1897, Hoffmann worked alongside some of the most important artists and designers of the era, including Koloman Moser, Joseph Maria Olbrich and Gustav Klimt. The group sought to break away from historicist styles and embrace a unified, contemporary aesthetic that integrated fine and decorative arts.
In 1903, Hoffmann and Moser established the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop), a design collective dedicated to producing finely crafted objects for everyday use ranging from Josef Hoffmann furniture to metalwork, textiles, ceramics and fashion. The Werkstätte's commitment to quality, innovation and elegant simplicity placed it at the forefront of the international design movement and laid the foundation for what would become known as modernist design.
Today, Hoffmann’s work is celebrated for its refined geometric forms, sophisticated use of materials and lasting influence on 20th-century decorative arts.
