Vienna 1900 : art, architecture & design /

The coincident appearance of three new books on Viennese architecture and design from c. 1900 is a good indication that that brief but wonderful historical moment has assumed a special significance to our culture in the 1980s. This resurgence of interest in Vienna at 1900 owes something to the return of figural expressionism in painting, to the approach of the 21st century, to the present search for a postmodern style for architecture, and to the immense appeal of the works themselves. These three books share a common interest in form and decoration rather than in space, and that is characteristic of the works themselves. Each book recognizes the primacy of architecture and of gesamtkunstwerk, beyond which the authors give differing emphases to the remaining arts. Although Varnedoe's handsomely produced book was written to accompany an exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art, it should be distinguished from a conventional catalog. Varnedoe's introduction, a brilliant evocation of the mood of the period, is followed by three short, profusely illustrated essays on architecture, design, and painting and drawing, in which the author skillfully focuses upon a few major figures (Wagner, Olbrich, Hoffmann, Loos, Moser, Klimt, Schiele) and representative works to create a discussion that relates the works to their cultural context and to vital economic, artistic, and psychological factors. Varnedoe's prose scintillates with insightful observations, a sense of the essential, and a balanced critical stance. It is a delight to read. The book is sumptuously illustrated with 245 black-and-white illustrations and 110 exceptionally fine color plates. A chronology of works and events and a bibliography follow. Borsi and Godoli's Vienna 1900: Architecture and Design is also ambitiously conceived and illustrated, but confines itself more specifically and comprehensively to architecture. Borsi's introduction, on the ideas of the era, is followed by chapters on Wagner, Olbrich, Hoffmann, and Loos. Godoli's chapters deal with the Wagner school, Wagner's followers, the Vienna school, and the Secession style. Borsi and Godoli offer a more comprehensive survey of Viennese architecture at the turn of the century than does Varnedoe, but their study suffers from a certain opacity in translation from the Italian. Borsi relies too frequently upon quotations from others that are not well integrated into his text, and most of the 370 black-and-white illustrations and many of the 44 color plates are muddily reproduced. There is a chronology of works arranged alphabetically by architect. Viennese Design and the Wiener Werkstatte provides a less-expensive and more concise overview of the period. Kallir, a gallery director, is more interested in the decorative arts than in architecture: the idea of gesamtkunstwerk is central and architecture receives short shrift. Kallir's pursuit of ceramics, glass, fashion, theater design, textiles, etc., makes her study an invaluable complement to either of the other studies, as well as a good basic source based upon the solidity of her background and history chapters. The book contains 195 black-and-white photographs, 35 color plates, and a chronology. Kallir is recommended for general readers; Varnedoe, and Borsi and Godoli, for more specialized academic libraries.-J. Quinan, SUNY at Buffalo

Borsi and Godoli's Vienna 1900 and Kallir's Viennese Design are complementary books on Viennese art 1880-1930. Kallir's, an expanded exhibition catalog, is the better of the two. It is succinct, covers more media, and is aimed at a more general audience. Kallir gives a brief history of the Wiener Werkstatte, the Austrian crafts/arts organization, discusses architecture and the ideal of a complete work of art (Gesamtkunstwerk) embracing all media, and sketches the main actors in the artistic world of the time. Borsi's book, which is awkwardly translated, deals with the works of Otto Wagner, Josef Olbrich, Josef Hoffman, and Adolf Loos, all architects, and their followers. There is substantial material here, particularly in the images (many contemporary) and in the chronological documentation of the architects and their works, but this is a hybrid work, ultimately not satisfactory to the scholar or to the general reader. Those interested in the period will prefer Varnedoe's extensive essay based on the 1986 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. This is an articulate overview of architecture, design, painting, and drawing in the period 1900-1918, with emphasis on the major figuresKlimt, Schiele, Kokoschka in painting; Wagner, Hoffmann, and Olbrich in architecture; and Moser in design. Varnedoe writes well, has something to say, and says it in an elegantly produced volume of synthetic understanding. Broader than the other two volumes reviewed here, and the best of the three, his book is highly recommended. Jack Perry Brown, Ryerson & Burnham Libs., Art Inst. of Chicago (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.