Vienna and the New Wohnkultur, 1918-1938

While the domestic sphere might seem tangential to the dire political situation and humanitarian crises of interwar Europe, it was nevertheless at the forefront of debates about cultural identity and economic policy in the Viennese press, culture, and arts.

Vienna and the New Wohnkultur, 1918-1938 explores why and how the Viennese design landscape was set apart--aesthetically and theoretically--from other European explorations of modern design. Jackson-Beckett examines interior design exhibitions, press, and debates about modern living in interwar Vienna, an overlooked area of modern European architecture and design history, arguing for a reconsideration of the contours of European modernism. The text analyses varied interpretations of modern domestic culture (Wohnkultur) in Vienna, and explores why these interpretations were distinct from other strands of European modernism.

Vienna and the New Wohnkultur introduces new research and translation of primary sources on flexible, adaptable, and affordable design by architects, designers, and retailers. Vienna’s design discourse also prefigured important postmodern and contemporary discussions on historicism, eclecticism, empathy, and user experience. Through extensive new research in archival and period sources, Jackson-Beckett illustrates how design ideas, taste, and portrayals of domestic culture of fin-de-siècle Viennese Modernism (Wiener Moderne) were also deployed as forms of cultural and national identity both during the early years of the Social Democratic government in Vienna (1918-1934) and later under the fascist state (1934-1938).

Michelle Jackson-Beckett, Curator, Drawings & Archives, Columbia University in the City of New York

Michelle Jackson-Beckett is Curator of Drawings & Archives at Columbia University’s Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library. Her research focuses on modern Central European and US cultural history, with a specialisation in the built environment and design archives. She holds a PhD in Design History from Bard Graduate Center, an MA in Design History from the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, and a BA in German Language & Literature from Saint Joseph’s University. She has lectured widely on design and architectural history, and previously held positions at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Parsons School of Design, and the Rhode Island School of Design.