Center Table

Josef Hoffmann|Wiener Werkstätte

1903 · Wood, ebonized wood, marble, nickel-plated brass · Modern and Contemporary Art

This center table dates from Hoffmann’s most innovative period, when he turned from the prevailing modern style of Art Nouveau, with its emphasis on curvilinear forms and organic motifs, to his revolutionary approach based on strict geometry and a rejection of historicist decoration. Here, the materials themselves are the decoration. The table is part of a suite of furniture that includes two armchairs and a settee, designed for the salon of Alexander Pazzani, an important client of Hoffmann’s.

Artist

Josef Hoffmann|Wiener Werkstätte

Date

1903

Medium

Wood, ebonized wood, marble, nickel-plated brass

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2002