Strictly Viennese Rooms - Josef Hoffmann and Carl Auböck: One complete furniture set by each designer at the Dorotheum Design Auction on 14th May

Auböck wall storage

Hoffmann dining-room

Josef Hoffmann and Carl Auböck: As architects, both men favoured a holistic approach ("Gesamtkunstwerk") and for both Vienna was the centre of their life. The Design Auction at the Vienna Dorotheum on 14th May 2009 now presents a complete one-room furniture set by each of these renowned designers.

Originally installed in the Vienna apartment of Gustav Pollak, Josef Hoffmann's furnishings for a dining room date to 1901/02 and comprise several pieces. Their austerity and strict geometry is the epitome of Vienna Secession art and artistry and became a model for future design. The furniture was manufactured by the renowned firm of Portois & Fix, which was flourishing during this period. Architects such as Loos and Wagner employed their services and they created the reception salon for the 1900 Paris World Fair.

The furniture ensemble, which will come up for auction as a single lot at 250.000 to 300.000 Euro, consists of a folding table with round top, six armchairs, wall panels, as well as two small cupboards, two display cases, and a wardrobe. In its entirety, this extensive ensemble represents a true sensation rarely, if ever, found in the art market. The expert's report by Christian Witt-Dörring praises the furniture's clear, stereometric form and the dark finish which in a well-lit room emphasises its cubic, unified structure, identifying it as a pioneering step towards modern interior design.

Dating to the very early, Bauhaus-inspired work period of the Viennese designer and architect Carl Auböck (b. 1900), his bedroom furnishings of 1928 until quite recently graced a private residence in Bernardgasse, in Vienna's 7th District. After he married Mara Uckunowa, a Weimar Bauhaus colleague, Auböck settled in Vienna where he lived and worked until his death in 1957.

The six cherry wood pieces of furniture, manufactured by Josef Vanicek, include a storage set with two armoires and wardrobes (€ 20.000 - 25.000), a lounge chair (€ 2.800 - 3.500), a side table (€ 2.600 - 2800), a table (€ 7.000 - 8.000), a pair of chairs of cubic shape (€ 1.200 – 1.800), and an armchair (€ 900 - 1.300). All items will come up for auction individually and subsequently as a single lot.

All furniture items are in original condition and according to a 2004 report by Christian Witt-Dörring and Peter Asenbaum represent the continuation of the formal repertoire of New Objectivity while at the same time carrying on the Viennese tradition of furniture making. This is particularly evident in their special proportions, the material and the workmanship.


Auction:
Design, 14. May 2009, 5:00 P.M.

Public Viewing:
from 2. May 2009

Venue:
PALAIS DOROTHEUM, Wien 1, Dorotheergasse 17

Expert
Dr. Gerti Draxler, Tel. +43 1/515 60-226,
gerti.draxler@dorotheum.at

Press Office:
Mag. Doris Krumpl, Tel. + 43 1/515 60-406,
doris.krumpl@dorotheum.at

	Auböck wall storage
	Hoffmann dining-room