Glass Cabinet in Black and White, c. 1906

This glass cabinet was designed by the architect and designer Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) around 1906. Hoffmann used a narrow, rectangular body which tapers off at the top in the shape of a curved arch. The cabinet has three shelves and is made from wood with black varnish. Only the frame of the cabinet’s door boasts a pattern made up of black and white rectangles, providing a visual anchor point with its geometrical decor. The world of geometry furnished Hoffmann with the basis for many arts-and-crafts designs during the first years of the Wiener Werkstätte and has become characteristic for the Viennese variant of international Art Nouveau. In his oeuvre, the protagonist of Modernism focused on an execution that showed respect for the materials.

MR, 2021