Lecture | Vienna and Prague: A New Modernism
Vlastislav Hofman, Table, 1912, red oak and beech, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Design Council, 2015, the Decorative Arts Endowment Fund, Lynn Goode and Harrison Williams, Kerry Inman and Denby Auble, and Terri Norton.
Josef Hoffmann, “Fledermaus” Armchair, c. 1907, ebonized beech, paint, and vintage upholstery, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Design Council, 2013.
Josef Hoffmann, Blumenmuster gebuckelt (Flower Basket), 1909–1910, silver and glass, the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection, museum purchase funded by friends of Raymond Brochstein in his honor.
June 13, 2024
Speaker: Cindi Strauss, the Sara and Bill Morgan Curator, Department of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna and Prague saw the emergence of a new generation of artists eager to throw off the design conventions and the political conservatism that dominated Austro-Hungarian aesthetics in the waning years of empire. This lecture focuses on the dynamic role that Wiener Werkstätte artists played as they ushered in a new era, revolutionizing modern design. The group’s relationship with Czech architects and designers is also explored, as is Prague’s unique contribution to Cubism.
“Vienna and Prague: A New Modernism” is the Museum’s annual Peter Lotz Lecture. Endowed by Merrianne Timko in memory of her late husband, the Peter Lotz Lecture is a dedicated series devoted to the history of Modernism across all disciplines represented by the MFAH art collections.
Plan Your Visit
- This program is free with Museum admission. The lecture takes place in Lynn Wyatt Theater in the Kinder Building. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Parking Information | Museum Hours | MFAH Campus Map
This MFAH lecture is endowed by the Peter Lotz Memorial Fund.
All Learning and Interpretation programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive generous support from H-E-B; Institute of Museum and Library Services; Sempra Foundation; the Brown Foundation, Inc.; the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; the John M. O'Quinn Foundation; the Joe Barnhart Foundation; the Cockrell Family Fund; the CFP Foundation; Macey and Harry Reasoner; the Texas Commission on the Arts; and the Junior League of Houston, Inc.
Endowment funds are provided by the Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; Caroline Wiess Law; Windgate Foundation; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation; Medha and Shashank Karve; Virginia and Ira Jackson; Jesse H. Jones II; the CFP Foundation; the Favrot Fund; gifts in memory of John Wynne; Neiman Marcus Youth Arts Education; gifts in memory of Peter Lotz; and gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.
On Thursdays, admission to the MFAH Permanent Collections is free, courtesy of Shell USA, Inc.