Olbrich Joseph Maria

Troppau (Opava) 1867 – 1908 Düsseldorf

From 1890 to 1893, Olbrich studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and took the special class for architecture under Prof. Karl von Hasenauer. From 1894 to 1899, he was a particularly creative employee in Otto Wagner’s architectural practice. Olbrich was responsible for the first Viennese Jugendstil building, the Vienna Secession, of which he became a member. In addition, he designed a number of houses in Vienna and St. Pölten, which he also furnished, making them gesamtkunstwerk. Olbrich planned and carried out the fittings and furnishings for several Viennese apartments using his own designs. Since he accepted an appointment by the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig von Hessen und bei Rhein to a position in Darmstadt in 1899, he could not take up a professorship at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts. As protégé of the grand duke he was the guiding spirit of the artist colony until his early death in 1908. It was Olbrich's position in Darmstadt that opened up the professorship at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts for Josef Hoffmann. Olbrich’s last works for Vienna were designs made for a number of furniture companies, which were shown at the Paris World Fair in 1900 as the “Viennese Interior”. His most important creative period was in Vienna and Darmstadt, though very soon (around 1904) he lost his Viennese lightness of touch and elegance. Olbrich is regarded amongst the most important architects in Europe. Because of his brilliant contribution to the World Fair in St. Louis, he was also famous and well-regarded in specialist international circles.