Wiener Werkstätte

Wiener Werkstätte

The Wiener Werkstätte or Wiener Secession was a group of artists who operated in Vienna between 1897 and 1914. The artists were inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and strove to create a new language of shapes; a geometrical form of Art Nouveau. Some famous members include Gustav Klimt, Joseph Hoffmann, Otto Wagner, Egon Schiele and Koloman Moser.

The Wiener Secession was founded in 1897 and it is also the name of the local variety of Jugendstil. Wiener Werkstätte, an ideological community focused on the applied arts, came forth from the Wiener Secession. Just like the Arts and Crafts movement, the Wiener Werkstätte used traditional crafts to produce its art. They created their items by hand for a selective market because the unique objects were not affordable for everyone due to the exclusive materials and manual labour. Jewellery, fabric, ceramic, clothing and furniture were made by hand by the members according to the artistic guidelines of Jugendstil: elegant yet functional, often with geometrical lines. It culminated in the Gesamtkunstwerk, where artists with different background worked together to create one big piece of art, for example a Jugendstil house with an entire interior in the same style.

The designs of the Wiener Werkstätte were leading until well into the 1930s. Today the legacy of the group of artists is of great value within the art world. At Art Deco Web Store, the influence of the Austrian Jugendstil movement can also clearly be seen in various exclusive products. Multiple original designs of the Wiener Werkstätte are available at Art Deco Web Store. These products have been made of exclusive materials to follow in the footsteps of the Wiener Werkstätte.