Austrian architect and designer Otto Wagner was one of the most prominent artists in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century.
![Otto Wagner photo: profile in black and white.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Otto_Wagner_photo2_retouched.jpg)
Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Wagner#/media/File:Otto_Wagner_photo2_retouched.jpg
About His Life
Otto Koloman Wagner was born on July 13, 1841, in Vienna, Austria. In 1894, Wagner was appointed professor of architecture at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Among his students were Art Nouveau architects Joseph Maria Olbrich and Josef Hoffmann. In his unusual inaugural lecture, he stated that he advocated for modern architecture in response to contemporary needs, and condemned stylistic imitation as inappropriate falsities. Additionally, his introductory lecture, embodied Wagner’s philosophy of architecture and design, was published as a book titled “Moderne Architektur,” the following year.
Then, in 1897, he joined Gustav Klimt, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Josef Hoffmann, and Koloman Moser after founding the “Vienna Secession” art group. The ideas of this group, helped Wagner develop a style that symbolically referenced new forms of modernity.
![Karlsplatz Station (1898-99) by Otto Wagner.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Karlsplatz-Station.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/0b627428-4b84-4075-8d84-fcd14ae9d506 by roryrory
![Otto Wagner - apartments on Vienna's linke Wienzeile, along the Naschmarkt.-Vienna.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Apartments-on-Viennas-linke-Wienzeile-designed-by-Wagner.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/da6685af-8f63-44fe-87a6-ddb8d77a98a4 by Ethan Prater
Major Works
- Rumbach Street synagogue (1872): located in Budapest
- Nussdorf weir and lock (1894): located in Vienna
- Majolica House (1898–1899): located in Vienna
![Majolica House (Majolikahaus), Vienna, 1898-99.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Majolica-House-in-Vienna.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/792542d7-81cb-4999-a03b-69d4c0d18ab4 by roryrory
![Majolica House close up photo, which showcases the elaborate floral designs along the side of the structure.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Majolica-House-close-up-photo.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/ca335da4-bc19-4971-a6d9-a3030e5a6681 by piotr ilowiecki
- Postal Office Savings Bank Building (1894–1902): located in Vienna
- Kirche am Steinhof (1903–1907): located in Vienna
- Kirche am Steinhof
- Viennese Wiener Stadtbahn: a metropolitan railway system
![Kirche am Steinhof (Otto Wagner, 1907): Photo of a structure with a gold-dome roof and white walls.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kirche-am-Steinhof.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/43842bab-793b-4bee-9902-ff03f2ea7564 by liakada-web
![Main facade of the Österreichische Postsparkasse (P.S.K.) building in Vienna.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Main-facade-of-the-Österreichische-Postsparkasse-.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/ab0425d9-4cdd-45c1-a5e3-70a402455188 by roryrory
The Austrian Postsparkasse (1904-06) that Wagner designed is often called his masterpiece, both aesthetically and technically. In addition, he conceived this building as a work of art, using not only the newest materials such as reinforced concrete and aluminum. Also, he designed the entire interior, which reveals his early functionalist tendencies and new methods of furniture-making.
![Postsparkasse - The innovative interiors of Otto Wagner’s early-20th-century Austrian Postal Savings Bank (Österreichische Postsparkasse).](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Postsparkasse-by-Otto-Wagner.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/c89748ab-b7fa-4f7a-b7ed-bae99673a6b3 by Thomas Ledl
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