ÖZKD LXXVII Heft 1 Symposium Josef Hoffmann, pp. 45-50, 2024/04/15
Symposium Josef Hoffmann 2022
“Seismographs” of his stylistic development as an architect, Josef Hoffmann’s villas stand out from the rest of his œuvre. Buildings that combine features of the English country house style with elements of Biedermeier or vernacular architecture contrast with urban villas like the one designed for Gyula Pikler in Budapest. Executed by Karl Bräuer and Lipót Weil, this villa was built in 1909/10 and is the only building to have been designed by Hoffmann in Hungary. Photos and preserved plans reveal a building that epitomises Josef Hoffmann’s creative style in modern villa construction. It is a total work of art that came to fruition by drawing upon all the possibilities provided by the newly established Wiener Werkstätte. A major overhaul based on a restoration concept coordinated with experts in the conservation of early modern structures may be able to save this building – the only one of its kind in Hungary – for modern architectural history. An exhibition organised by the Museum of Applied Arts (Iparművészeti Múzeum) in Budapest in 2022 laid the foundation for this project.
