Wiener Werkstätte, design in Vienna 1903-1932

the long version

"At the turn of the twentieth century, Vienna was the European epicenter of innovation in the arts. In 1903, original members of the Vienna Succession Josef Hoffman and Kolmon Moser founded the Wiener Werkstatte - "Vienna Workshops" - an idealistic offspring of Art Noveau that, in resistance to increasing mass production and industrialization, called for integration of the fine and applied arts, the union of form and function in design, and treatment of everyday objects with refined craftsmanship and aesthetic care. Ultimately involving hundreds of artists, including Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Carl Otto Czescka, Michael Powolny, and Oskar Kokoschka, the movement neglected no area of the arts or design. The prodigious talents of the participants extended to everything from furniture, metal work, glass, and ceramics to jewelry, books, and graphic design, examples of which are included in this edition." "This book details the breadth of the workshop's design vision, and provides a comprehensive overview of the movement, one of the high points of modern design history and a beacon for artists and designers ever since."--BOOK JACKET.