Joseph Maria Olbrich

Joseph Maria Olbrich
Born	December 22, 1867(1867-12-22) Opava, Austrian Silesia
Died	August 8, 1908(1908-08-08) (aged 40) Düsseldorf, Germany
Nationality	Austrian
Awards	Rome Prize (1893)
Work
Buildings	Secession hall

Joseph Maria Olbrich (22 December 1867–8 August 1908) was an Austrian architect and co-founder of the Vienna Secession.

Life

Olbrich was born in Opava, Austrian Silesia (today in the Czech Republic).He was the third child of Edmund and Aloisia Olbrich. He had two sisters who died before he was born, and two younger brothers John and Edmund. His father was a prosperous confectioner and wax manufacturer who also owned a brick works, which is where Olbrich's interest in the construction industry has its early origin.

Olbrich studied architecture at the Wiener Staatsgewerbeschule and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna where he won several prizes. In 1893, he started working for Otto Wagner and probably did the detailed construction for most of Wagner's Wiener Stadtbahn (Metropolitan Railway) buildings.

In 1897, Gustav Klimt, Olbrich, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser founded the Vienna Secession artistic group. Olbrich designed their exhibition building, the famous Secession Hall, which became the movement's landmark. In 1899, Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, founded the Darmstadt Artists' Colony and hired Olbrich among other leading artists to participate in the planning and execution of exhibition buildings. Olbrich gained Hessian citizenship in 1900 and was appointed to a professorship by the Grand Duke. In 1903, he married Claire Morawe.

In the following years, Olbrich executed the most diverse architectural commissions and experimented in other fields of applied arts and design. He designed pottery, furniture, several book bindings, and musical instruments. His contribution to the Louisiana Exhibition in St. Louis were highly recognized, and he was appointed corresponding member of the American Institute of Architects, probably at the instigation of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Shortly after his daughter Marianne's birth on July 19, 1908, Olbrich died from leukemia in Düsseldorf on August 8, aged 40. He remains among the World's most respected and influential architects. His architectural works, especially his exhibition buildings for the Vienna and Darmstadt Secessions, have had a strong influence on the development of the Art Nouveau Style.

Works

• The Secession hall, Vienna
• Residence for Hermann Bahr, Vienna
• Hochzeitsturm and other buildings at Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt
• Department store for Leonhard Tietz, Düsseldorf
• Vila for Josef Feinhals, Cologne, built 1908 and destroyed in World War II

References

• Latham, Ian (1980). Joseph Maria Olbrich. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 0847802302. 
• Ulmer, Renate (2006) (in German). Joseph Maria Olbrich. München: Deutscher Kunstverlag. ISBN 3422066594. 

Ornaments by Olbrich at Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station

Secession building