Hans Hollein

Today, the view of his “style” as postmodern deserves further study in light of his involvement in the various movements that shaped the post-avant-gardism of the 1960s to 1980s, ranging from Informalism to Conceptualism and the Radical Architecture movement.

In 1987, the Centre Pompidou devoted a significant exhibition to him in the Forum, and after he passed away, the Centre Pompidou - Musée National d’Art Moderne acquired a vast collection in 2016, including installations, models, drawings and documentation on all aspects and covering all periods of his work.

With his first research into the concept of space (1958-1962) and on Architekturskulptur in Austria and the United States, followed by the ‘Architektur’ exhibition with Walter Pichler (Galerie Nächst St. Stephan, 1963) and his collages on urban scale (now at the MoMA), the first phase of his work links in closely with Conceptualism, especially through his participation in the catalogues and exhibitions devoted to this movement.

From 1965 onwards, he played an active role in editing BAU magazine in Austria, while  still working on noteworthy exhibitions including ‘Austriennale’ (Triennale di Milano, 1968), ‘MANtransFORMS’ (Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, 1976) and installations  such as Die Turnstunde (Städtisches Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach, 1984). His international reputation and his affiliation with this movement were confirmed by the creation of his iconic façade featuring a series of columns, for the founding exhibition of postmodernism ‘La Strada Novissima’ at the 1980 Venice Biennale.

After designing several shops, including Retti (1966) and Schullin I and II (1974-1976), Hollein worked on a large number of architectural projects in Austria, such as the Haas Haus (1990) opposite St. Stephan cathedral in Vienna’s main square, and on some major creations further afield such as the Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach (1982), the Museum of Modern Art  in Frankfurt (1991), and Vulcania (2002) in Auvergne, France.