VC-28-62
Josef Hoffmann

Designed 1905, Vienna
Made by J & J. Kohn (label)
Mahogany stained bent beechwood
Polished brass rivets
Upholstered in burgundy leather

In 1901 Hoffmann published the following statement under the title ‘Simple Furniture’ (Interieur II),
in which he demanded honesty regarding material and function: “ …the architect designer has to pay attention to the required use and the material. A sense of good proportions…..will guarantee the value. …..One should not look at the grain of the wood and create curves and curves. … For every constructive element one would have to go to the forest to find a branch in the right shape…. Obviously it is a different matter with bentwood, which is artificially bent, and therefore any curve is justified.”
In this sense Josef Hoffmann’s efforts have to be understood as to reduce form as far as possible
by creating clear lines. J. & J. Kohn realized a number of his ideas in stained bent beechwood and bent plywood. In general, the bentwood industry in Vienna during the first decade of the 20th Century was headed by J. & J. Kohn, more so than Thonet Brothers. It was among the most technically advanced in Europe and became one of the most artistically sophisticated with designs by Viennese avantgard architects, such as Josef Hoffmann, Otto Wagner, Koloman Moser, Marcel Kammerer, Gustav Siegel and others.

Settee for two: 28” x 49” x 24” (H W D)
Pair Armchairs: 28” x 23” 23”
Lit: Catalogue of J & J Kohn, 1916, p.50, no.421 C,F