JOSEF HOFFMANN
| About the artist | Brtnice 1870 – 1956 Vienna |
| Designed by | Josef Hoffmann, Vienna, around 1940 |
| Executed by | Max Welz |
| Dimensions | H 68 cm, W 34 cm, D 32.5 cm/ H 26.8 in W 13.4 in, D 12.8 in |
| Material | Carved wood, original gilding, small repairs, perfect condition |
| Provenance | private collection, Germany |
| Literature | comp. Die Pause, 5. JG, Heft 12; JH, Haus der Wehrmacht, Wien, 1940, Wandgestaltung im Festsaal © Kunsthandel Widder, Vienna, |
Noteworthy is Hoffmann’s transformation of the swastika into a decorative ornamental pattern.
Thanks to his good connections with the Vienna city administration, Hoffman was initially also awarded some lucrative projects during the Nazi regime. These included redesigning the German Embassy into the ‘Haus der Wehrmacht’, which was destroyed by Allied air raids at the end of the war.
In this context it is good to know that Hoffmann was classified as ‘unreliable’ by the regime.
M41/25
