Art Architecture And Design Beilage 2008 Final

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Present this Austrian Airlines boarding card, and your vacation will begin onboard with fresh rolls, excellent wines, Viennese coffee, and meals prepared by the best restaurant in the sky.* Hang on to the card after your arrival in Austria and it will open doors for you all over Vienna. One of the cultural capitals of the world, its architecture, museums and concert houses await, and with this card you can experience them at a significant discount.

See some of the world’s top collections at Vienna’s splendid Museum of Fine Arts or at the Belvedere Palace, with its stunning views. For something more contemporary, visit the MuseumsQuartier or the KunstHaus Wien. Experience music at the Haus der Musik and tour the Mozarthaus. Or take a day trip to the Burgenland and sample the Wine Museum in Eisenstadt. Whatever you do, don’t lose your card. It’s your ticket to the wonderful city of Vienna. Welcome aboard. *Best Business Class catering in the world, Skytrax Magazine, 2007.

Austrian Airlines understands the art of flying. From New York, Washington D.C. and Toronto we serve 130 destinations worldwide. This year Austrian Airlines celebrates 50 years of graceful flying and continues its rich heritage by providing charming service that is uniquely Austrian. Guest’s vacations begin the minute they step onboard, with modern wide-bodied aircraft, comfortable seating, elegant dining options and numerous entertainment choices. But the real difference is Austrian Airlines European flair. It is reflected in everything we do, from our attention to detail to the pleasure we get from a job well done. So, if you are planning a trip, fly Austrian Airlines, for a truly exceptional flying experience. For more information or to make a reservation, call 800-843-0002 or visit www.austrian.com

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AUSTRIA

Photography credit: Kunsthaus Graz @ Nicolas Lackner.

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ustria is booming. The 2004 European Union enlargement placed the country and its people at the center of the continent’s economic and cultural development scenes, making the region once again one of the great contemporary art centers of the world. Come see how a new prosperity reinvigorates a culture’s long tradition of arts patronage and promotes an atmosphere of innovative art and design. Masterpieces of “New Alpine Architecture” dot the green slopes of Vorarlberg. Postmodern hubs of glass and steel reflect and challenge the traditional architecture of Vienna. Contemporary paintings vie for ever-expanding gallery space in Salzburg. Everywhere you go, you’ll find artists and craftspeople building a new lexicon upon the old. Easily and efficiently traversed by train, car, or foot, the

famously beautiful cities and breathtaking landscapes of Austria offer the traveler old-world charm and new-world destinations. Bathe in Tirol’s soothing thermal waters—in concrete bowls mounted high in the air. Eat cutting-edge world-cuisine— under an arch of the Vienna City Railroad. And while you’re in town, play an electric guitar made of hemp or a resonant piano designed by Porsche. Vienna—consistently rated one of the top three cities in the world for quality of life—offers a vast constellation of exclusive galleries, stylish new hotels, innovative restaurants, and designer shops. Experience Vienna, and experience the beginning of all that Austria has to offer. It’s a great place to start your tour of contemporary art, architecture, and design.

ABOVE: The Kunsthaus Graz sits among the renaissance apartment buildings of the old city, contrasting with them without threatening to destroy them, hence its nickname the “Friendly Alien.” Peter Cook and Colin Fournier’s design for this contemporary art museum was runner up for the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize in 2003.

www.austria.info/art

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ustria today offers some of the world’s most important and stunning collections of modern and contemporary art. To tour the museums and galleries is to pass from the Old Masters to the postmodernists. Starting in the northern town of Linz, you’ll encounter The Ars Electronica Center, or the “Museum of the Future” as it’s called. Fifty interactive exhibits demonstrate how electronic technology produces moving, cutting-edge art. In Vienna you’ll experience a unique confluence of the old and new art worlds. The city boasts the greatest density of art museums and galleries in Austria—perhaps in the entire world. Check into a hotel and spend days viewing dozens of major collections all within ten minute’s walking distance of one another. And bring your appetite. The museums and their award-winning restaurants feed the body and soul. Begin your tour with the Fine Arts Museum where hangs the vast collection the Habsburg imperial monarchy assembled during its 600-year reign. Old Master paintings abound. Room X, alone, contains a third of the strange scenes of 16th-century peasant life that Peter Breughel the Elder painted. The Albertina, perched atop one of the few surviving bastions of Vienna’s old fortifications, contains 60,000 drawings, including many of Albrecht Duerer’s best images such as “The Hare” and “The Praying Hands.” After examining his work, head to Do & Co Albertina, a stylish restaurant offering an extraordinary range of cuisine as well as stunning views of the Burggarten and State Opera.

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Photography credits: Albertina © WienTourismus, Lois Lammerhuber; Gustav Klimt,The Kiss, 1907/1908; Öl, Silber- und Goldauflage auf Leinwand;180 x 180 cm; Belvedere, Wien (c) Belvedere, Wien; Ars Electronica Center Exhibition; Die Titanen; Zeitgenossen (AT); Source: rubra.

Afterwards, stroll the gallery Belvedere, a baroque palace designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. It offers panoramic views of the city and an elegantly landscaped estate that dips into the city center. Here you can see “The Kiss” as part of the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings, and experience the avant-garde power of other pioneering Austrian artists, such as Klimt’s apprentice, Egon Schiele. Both artists display an affinity for female sitters, though Schiele strips away Klimt’s glittering decoration and trappings of social status, reducing the subjects to their basic humanity—lean, naked, and intense with erotic gazes. Two hundred of Schiele’s works hang in the Leopold Museum, one of several museums and galleries surrounding tasty cafes in the grand courtyard of the MuseumsQuartier. Its Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (MUMOK) holds a vast collection of major 20th century artists—from Picasso to Pollock— all on permanent loan from the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation. Studios and galleries across Vienna showcase contemporary art where you can witness the Modern influence. For example, in Georg Kargl’s gallery you can see how Elke Krystufek’s narcissistic self-portraits share a strange eroticism with Schiele’s work. Kargl and his sharp eye for new talent helped to pioneer the lively exhibition scene in Vienna’s Schleifmuehlgasse. Several nights a year, the row of galleries hosts a joint-viewing that feels like a street party. If you enjoy the festivities, then be sure to parade from one gallery to the next in Vienna’s celebrated “Gallery Walkabout” in which several galleries host exhibitions on the same night. A mustsee on the gallery tour is Kunsthandel Hieke in the Grünangergasse. Owner Ursula Hieke showcases her impeccable taste in the works of classical-modern painters such as Ernst Huber and Heinrich Krause. Then visit Verein 08, an intimate salon in Vienna’s fashionable 8th District whose mission is to give emerging artists a forum for presenting their work. With its living-room atmosphere and inexpensive beer and wine, it’s a great place to meet young artists and to make new friends. And be sure to attend one of the frequent preview parties hosted by the Dorotheum auction house. There you can enjoy lectures by leading art experts on every objet d’art imaginable. When you’re ready for a beautiful trip to the country, follow the Danube a few miles north of Vienna and visit the Essl Museum, an impressive exhibition space designed by Heinz Tesar to house entrepreneur Karlheinz Essl’s collection. Its 6,000 images constitute the most comprehensive collection of post-war Austrian paintings,

and they range from the serenely beautiful to the grotesquely provocative. After strolling the museum and the beautiful green meadow where the Essl sits, conclude your daytrip with a tour of Klosterneuburg. The neighboring grand monastery abounds in cultural treasures. Although famous for its music and architecture, beautiful Salzburg now boasts an important collection of modern art, including works by Klimt and Kokoschka. In 2004 the Museum der Moderne expanded significantly. Perched atop the Mönchsberg, the marble-clad building offers views of the Salzach Valley and a unique setting for a new gallery. While away the afternoon in the museum’s café, sipping coffee and gazing out the window. Then visit the collections of impresario Thaddaeus Ropac, Austria’s most tireless supporter of contemporary art. His galleries fill the elegant Villa Kast (originally a gift to an army officer who saved the Emperor Franz Josef from assassination) and regularly feature major exhibitions of European and North American artists. A socially-gifted man, Ropac has befriended an array of distinguished artists, musicians, and writers, and he often brings them together at his exhibitions in Salzburg, creating a special, salon atmosphere. On your journey east of Salzburg, you’ll travel through the Salzkammergut. Considered one of the most idyllic landscapes in the world, this mountainous region of lakes inspired many of Austria’s finest paintings. Abundant summer rains green the wooded slopes and bedeck the meadows with flowers. On a clear day, when the mountains and clouds reflect off the lakes, the scene looks like a watercolor painting by Rudolf von Alt. Farther West, in Vorarlberg’s capital Bregenz, you’ll find one of Europe’s premier museums of contemporary art, Kunsthaus Bregenz. There, sunlight filters through glass-paneled ceilings into serene, polished-concrete chambers to illuminate works by internationally renowned artists. A dialogue exists between the paintings and the exhibition space, and you can feel the truly unique experience of contemporary art that it produces.

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Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” an iconic image of modern Austrian painting, is the centerpiece of the Belvedere gallery’s impressive collection. bottom

The Ars Electronica Center, a.k.a. the “Museum of the Future,” sits on the north bank of the Danube in old town Linz. In its six floors of exhibition rooms, high tech labs from over the world demonstrate how art and music can be produced electronically. previous page

A great cantilever soars over a former bastion of Vienna’s ancient fortifications—now the entrance to the Albertina. The dramatic entrance was added as part of the museum’s recent renovations. Formerly the Imperial State Rooms, the gallery has a permanent collection of Old Master drawings and often hosts major exhibitions.

www.austria.info/art

Thaddeus Ropac, the owner of one of Austria’s most famous galleries in Salzburg, shares how art impacted his life:

“Contemporary art was definitely not part of my upbringing. I remember when we went with the class in school to Vienna for an excursion. The Austrian government at that time had bought a very important collection of contemporary art and it was presented at a museum in Vienna. Seeing this show changed my whole life. It pushed my curiosity for contemporary art to a new level. I knew culture would always play a major role in my life.” To listen to this podcast and others, visit: promotions.artinfo.com/austria/

Hotel Altstadt | Vienna The Altstadt Vienna occupies a converted patrician house in one of the city’s oldest districts, the Spittelberg. Each of its exquisitely decorated rooms and suites has a touch of the past. In July 2006 nine elegant rooms designed by Italian star architect Matteo Thun were opened. Dark parquet, ornate chandeliers and sumptuous wallpapers with damask pattern present a fresh and modern interpretation of traditional Vienna. Large-format nude photographs create a light air of eroticism and recall that the Spittelberg district was, until a century ago, the city’s red-light district—the setting of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Especially suitable for longterm guests are “Marie´s Home” and “Sari´s Home”—apartments with complete dining rooms and kitchens. In 2008, the hotel opened twelve rooms designed by internationally renowned architects. The English-style Red Salon contains a breakfast room and a bar with an open fireplace. Complimentary tea and cakes are served every afternoon. www.altstadt.at

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WHAT TO SEE | WHERE TO STAY

THADDEUS ROPAC ON AUSTRIAN ART

Haus der Musik–The Sound Museum | Vienna Haus der Musik is an experiential museum in Vienna’s historic center, featuring six floors of interactive exhibits that demonstrate every facet of sound and how it is made into music. Fascinating. www.hdm.at

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Photography credit: Htoel zum Dom photo © Helmut Kolaric/Graz.

Arthotel Blaue Gans | Salzburg

Hotel zum Dom | Graz

Located in a medieval building on the Getreidegasse—the main pedestrian street in old town Salzburg—the Blaue Gans has converted the fortress-like structure into a contemporary “Art Hotel.” Combining minimalist-contemporary with medieval elements was no simple task, but the hotel’s designer pulled it off with flair. www.blauegans.at/en

The ancient, splendid little Inzaghi Palace has been converted into this elegant and serene hotel in the middle of the Graz old town. Each of its rooms and suites is uniquely furnished and decorated with a range of historical pieces, as well as with AC and W-LAN, some with rooftop terrace and outdoor jacuzzi. www.domhotel.co.at

Salzburg Mozart, a native of Salzburg, would be surprised by the amount of action in Salzburg today. The beautiful old city is now packed with modern art galleries, music clubs, theaters, and various institutions for promoting new art and literature. Salzburg’s annual Festspiele draws opera fans from all over the world. Every summer, international luminaries of culture, society, and fashion gather to watch the Festival performances and to rub elbows in the city’s elegant hotels and cafes. The atmosphere is rarified and exciting. In spite of the action, Salzburg is still probably the greatest city in the world for a quiet stroll. Much of the old town is for pedestrians only. A day of wandering its baroque squares and narrow passageways, lined with elegant shops and cafes, is a day peacefully and happily spent. www.salzburg.info

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o visit Austria is to experience brilliant architecture in dramatic landscapes. In Vorarlberg, the country’s westernmost state, one finds a veritable Alpine laboratory of new design and construction. It was here in 1984 that the “Vorarlberg Group of Building Artists”—a consortium of fifteen architects and master carpenters—began to focus on bold, simple lines that combine with finely joined, light-wood construction to yield a distinct style that balances sleek modernity with warm craftsmanship. The bright, unpainted wood and glass facades are especially vivid in winter, when the sun reflects off the snow and lends the colors a crystalline intensity. Now specializing in Green Construction, Vorarlberg architects use every kind of material and fabrication technology to design for the region’s ecologically sensitive communities. Take one of the region’s many architecture sightseeing tours, and you will see bold “New Alpine Architecture” everywhere you go. Just to the east, in the state of Tirol, even supermarkets embody the highest ideals and practices of contemporary architecture. It is here that the MPREIS supermarket chain holds a competition to decide the design of each new store. So instead of trolling narrow, fluorescent-lit aisles, MPREIS shoppers move through open, airy markets lit with abundant sunlight. Stopping at the giant windows

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before a food display, you can enjoy the sight of a flowered meadow or a grove of spruce—the stores are often built alone, solitary on grassy hillsides or next to patches of forest. The architecture transforms the mundane routine of grocery shopping into an aesthetic experience. After a trip to the supermarket, luxuriate in the waters of Aquadome, one of Tirol’s premiere spas. While its rooms are stylish and contemporary, the pool area feels like something out of a sciencefiction film. Sublime mountain peaks surround the site, and an artificial river flows around the bases of three enormous, concrete bowls filled with salt and fresh water, underwater music, and whirlpools. To swim there is to experience something otherworldly. For dinner and stupendous views, visit Tirol’s coolest new restaurant, the Top Mountain Star. Wedged into the region’s rocky crags—with sheer drops on either side—the circular building of glass and polished steel looks like a snowflake ten thousand feet in the air. The Bergisel Ski Jump Tower looms over Innsbruck, Tirol’s capital. Designed by the Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid, its tower and ramp flow gracefully together to form a functional sports infrastructure as well as a beautiful sculpture—a ramp for generating speed and a static expression of speed itself. Watch from its restaurant and viewing platform in the steel and glass pinnacle as ski jumpers fly down the ramp and into the Inn Valley below.

Photography credits: Metzler Käse Molke Egg @Foto Felder; Island in the River Mur @ Graz Tourism; Lentos Museum @TVB Linz; Bergisel Ski Jump Tower @ H. Abfalterer; Haas Haus and St. Stephen’s Cathedral @ Austrian Tourist Office.

From downtown Innsbruck to the mountain suburb of Hungerburg, take the funicular railway, the Hungerburgbahn. Hadid designed the four stations along the way, covering each with curved, milky glass canopies that resemble glaciers—again combining functional architecture with sculpted, organic forms. Perched on steep slopes, each platform offers the traveler arresting panoramic views of the mountains. In Salzburg, visit what may be the boldest, most idiosyncratic mixed-use building in the world. Redesigned then opened in 2003, Hangar 7 is an ultra-modern glass and steel aircraft hangar that houses Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s historical airplane collection as well as bars, the world-class Ikarus restaurant, an art gallery, and a music stage. Aviation buffs will love eating a great meal or drinking a cocktail in the company of vintage planes. Don’t forget to look up at the soaring and wide-spanning domes—each one of their 1,754 glass panes forms a unique shape. In Austria’s capital, Vienna, you’ll experience the epicenter of Austria’s vibrant architectural world. It is here that architect Hans Hollein gives preservationists and innovationists something to debate: his 1990 Haas Haus, a funky post-modernist commercial center. It faces St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the most venerable architectural monument in the city. View it at night from the sleek Onyx Bar on the Haus’s top floor. It commands a mystical view of the illuminated church. Then be sure to visit the MuseumsQuartier—once the Imperial Stables—which continues the debate between proponents of traditional and innovative architecture. Once a masterpiece of baroque housing for the Emperor’s 600 horses and 200 carriages, Laurids and Manfred Ortner redesigned the space in 2001 to preserve the edifice while encompassing two new modern art museums, an array of galleries and studios, as well as the Architekturzentrum, an architecture museum that hosts powerful exhibits and boasts a fantastic library. Before leaving, mingle with people from all over the world in the magnificent courtyard, and eat in Café-Restaurant MILO—itself an architectural gem—and one that serves some of the best food in town. Or savor a meal at any one of the cutting-edge restaurants popping up all over Vienna these days. Babu—built inside a massive arch of the Vienna City Railroad—incorporates wood paneling, polished steel, and glass into the exposed-masonry walls as elegantly as its menu integrates Viennese, Italian, and Asian dishes. Halle, Shambala, and Yellow all serve up experimental cuisine with contemporary design, enticing the patron’s mind as well her senses.

South of Vienna lies the city of Graz, a renaissance jewel on the Mur River. Though not as well known as Prague, it is every bit as enchanting as the Czech capital. But visit the Kunsthaus to see just how starkly modern architecture contrasts the traditional cityscape. Its bubble-glass skin earns it the nickname “Friendly Alien.” Then there’s Mur Island, an egg-shaped amphitheater and café anchored in the river with two elevated, steel-lattice gangways that connect it to both banks. Designed by Vito Acconci and built in 2003, the space-age structure is both a useful building and a beautiful sculpture—especially at night when, illuminated in blue, it reflects off the river. Wine and design lovers can venture back to the countryside to savor wine tastings in the midst of magnificent design. In recent years, Austrian wine estates increased and improved their production while hiring internationally renowned architects to design new facilities. The result is a boom of “Wine Architecture.” American architect Steven Holl’s glass and aluminum-clad “Visitors’ Center” stands in the middle of a vineyard a few hundred yards away from the gothic St. Laurentius church, and looks downright surreal there. But the minimalist, horizontal building on Leo Hillinger’s estate in Burgenland blends perfectly with the green, gently rolling countryside: it’s built into a hillside and grass grows on its roof. Austria offers so much in contemporary design and architecture, you could spend a lifetime exploring. Learn more by visiting www.austria.info/art, and see what other Austrian destinations have to offer.

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Contrast and Captivate: The Murinsel café and amphitheater eerily illuminates the Mur River, which flows through the middle of Graz. The Haas Haus in Vienna reflects the image of its neighboring St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The Bergisel Ski Jump Tower in Innsbruck is a static expression of speed. The Lentos Art Museum in Linz plays a symphony of natural and manmade light in its glass façade. previous page

Modern Pastoral: A notable example of “New Alpine Architecture” sits in a meadow in Vorarlberg. In recent years, a flourishing design culture has taken root in Austria’s western states. For information about tours, visit the Vorarlberg Architecture Institute as well as Tirol’s online resource.

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The world-renowned Austrian architects Oskar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Rüf were recently invited to showcase one of their signature pieces, the prefabricated System 3 house, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. There, Kaufmann spoke about his architectural philosophy:

“If you order a house from our company you can have all the windows you want, you can have all the colors you want. We want to make an individual house. If you buy a house and your neighbor’s house looks totally the same it could be a bit boring. I think each human being should have his own interpretation of the house – inside and outside.”

WHERE TO GO | WHERE TO STAY

¨ K AUFMANN & RUF ON AUSTRIAN ARCHITECTURE

To listen to this podcast and others, visit: promotions.artinfo.com/austria/

Tirol & Innsbruck The Tirolean cliché of an idyllic alpine landscape, inhabited by robust cowherds and foresters, is partly true. When the snow falls they go skiing, and every four years they dominate the Winter Olympics. That said, they also have a long tradition of international business and skilled manufacturing. Innsbruck, the state capital, was for centuries a key city on Europe’s chief north-south trade route. Nowadays it’s the home of two universities (including a top medical facility) and a huge tourism industry. In recent years, Tirol has experienced a wave of bold new construction projects. Architecture aficionados from all over Europe are now flocking to the state to see its stunning new sports facilities, public transportation networks, spas, and restaurants. Even a Tirolean supermarket chain, MPreis, has received international accolades for its innovative store designs. The mountainous setting imbues the buildings with special drama and inspiration. www.tirol.at, www.innsbruck.info

Hotel Kristiania | Lech The Lech Kristiania is an enchanting luxury hotel that combines traditional alpine and modern styles. It has a splendid bar and gourmet restaurant, and its cosy lounge with a roaring fire is the perfect après-ski hangout. Each room is uniquely furnished and decorated with original works of art. www.kristiania.at

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Vorarlberg: Art and Architecture in the Alps

Photography credits: Fire Station and Cultural Center Hittisau, Picture by Hanspeter Schiess; Michael Craig-Martin, KUB Façade “Lighthouse - Houselight”, 2006; Olafur Eliasson, The Mediated Motion, 2001.

At first it sounds improbable: Vorarlberg—a small, mostly rural state in the middle of the Alps—has become one of Europe’s leading regions for modern art and architecture. Then again, its picturesque landscape between the Arlberg massif and Lake Constance, with its ever changing light and mood, is an ideal setting for the visual arts. Its location at the conjunction of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein makes it an international hub. In recent years the state has received widespread attention for its flourishing architectural culture. Many residents have moved beyond traditional, heavy timber construction to a more refined, contemporary style that opens up buildings to the surrounding nature. Wallpaper magazine rated Vorarlberg “the most progressive part of the planet when it comes to new architecture.” Bregenz, the state capital, is home to the Kunsthaus, an acclaimed Exhibition Hall of Contemporary Art, and the annual Summer Festival, which produces new opera and theater, as well as bold interpretations of the classical repertoire. Its main stage, floating on Lake Constance, may be the most spectacular theater set in the world.

Kunsthaus Bregenz: A Hotspot for Contemporary Art The Kunsthaus Bregenz is an Austrian art force to be reckoned with. Grounded on the idea of the indivisibility of architecture, programming, curatorial practice, and education, the KUB is a temporary studio, a research and production site to artists like Daniel Buren, Olafur Eliasson, Douglas Gordon or Santiago Sierra. Designed by the renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, this prize-winning structure on the banks of Lake Constance ranks internationally as one of the major museum buildings in contemporary architecture. In only a few years the Kunsthaus Bregenz has established itself as one of Europe’s leading exhibition venues. Artists, audiences, and the media concur that not only does “Zumthor’s semitransparent glass cube shine out over the idyllic setting of Lake Constance, but the exhibition program is brilliant too, among the best Europe has to offer.” (Monopol Art Magazine). The Neue Züricher Zeitung described the KUB as “a Mecca of contemporary art,” and Wallpaper proclaimed “that there is no other art institution quite like the KUB.” In the summer of 2009, KUB is planning to feature the work of Antony Gormley - one of Britain’s major contemporary sculptors - at the KUB gallery, as well as a large-scale landscape project titled “Horizon Field,” in which 100 life-size iron figures will be installed in the surrounding mountains of Vorarlberg for one year. www.kunsthaus-bregenz.at

General information on culture, architecture and recreation in the Vorarlberg region: Vorarlberg Tourist Board www.vorarlberg.travel/en The reservation center of Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourism Board takes care of all holiday booking requests for accommodations, package offers and cultural events. Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourism Board Postfach 16, 6901 Bregenz, Austria T +43 (0)5574 43443-15 [email protected] www.lakeconstance.eu www.austria.info/art

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For the Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Tirol, the renowned Italian painter and video artist Fabrizio Plessi created a poetic crystal forest - a unique composition that is dedicated to the elements of fire, water and crystal.

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etween tours of museums and notable Austrian architecture, take time to enjoy the sublime experience of Austrian design— from textiles and jewelry to guitars and furniture. You’ll find magnificently designed wares in shops throughout the country, but be sure to visit the manufactories too, where you can meet and watch the craftspeople at work. In the west of Austria, you’ll discover a wide range of ornamental products at Swarovski, the Tirolean manufacturer famous for its endlessly inventive use of crystal. The company not only commissions well-known designers but even sponsors an international “Create your Style” contest for anyone who wants to try his or her hand at crystal jewelry design. Visit the Swarovski Crystal Worlds near Innsbruck and immerse yourself in this sparking world. In Kufstein, a picturesque town near Innsbruck, watch Riedel glassblowers craft what Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate calls, “The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes. The effect of these glasses is

profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make.” Claus Riedel went down in history when he designed this mouthblown glass that captures the aroma of wine in a balloon-shaped bowl and directs it to the nose through a long stem. His glass won the 1958 Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Brussels, and two years later the New York Museum of Modern Art selected it for its permanent collection. Today, Riedel glasses are considered the most beautiful and useful in the world. In Vienna you’ll find Wiener Werkstaette, founded in 1903 by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser to develop and execute designs on the guiding principles of elegance, precision, and function. In 1986, the Polzhofer family acquired the trademark and modified it to the Neue Wiener Werkstaette (New Vienna Workshop). Like its progenitor, the firm dedicates itself to executing the best designs by Austrian master craftsmen. Recent clients include the German

Photos Courtesy Of: Swarovski Kristallwelten @ S. Oláh; Susanne Bisovsky with Tracht by Wolfgang Zajc; Neue Wiener Werkstaette.

Reichstag, the British and Saudi Royal families, as well as Vladimir Putin. In an age when so many companies contract so much manufacturing abroad, it is remarkable how many Austrian companies continue to produce locally and on such a large scale. Since 1718, Augarten has been making exquisite porcelain in Vienna. You can tour the manufactory in the baroque Augarten Palace and watch the artisans glaze and paint the pieces by hand. Styles range from the classic “Augarten Rose” pattern to the minimalist creations of designer Gottfried Palatin. Across town, Backhausen produces a variety of rich, handpainted and printed fabrics. The internationally renowned painter Ernst Fuchs designed its new Paradiso interior and accessory collections. A world leader in design, Backhausen recently received commissions from the Hotel Metropol in Moscow and the Suntory Concert Hall in Tokyo. Long known as the “City of Music,” Vienna still produces musical instruments of the highest quality. Votaries of the Bösendorfer piano’s dark, rich, sound should tour its Vienna salon to play every model—from the awe-inspiring Imperial Grand to the dainty Upright. The production facility south of town—also open to visitors—commissions architects and designers for special models. In 2004, Porsche produced a top seller of ultra-sleek design. Years ago the Polish ex-pat Leszek Gajdzik set out to build the best classical guitar in the world—and many musicians believe he succeeded. On a shoestring budget in his tiny Vienna workshop, Gadjik combined traditional elements of the guitar with an innovative soundboard design. He didn’t invent the “double-top” (a lattice of tiny wooden cells sandwiched between two ultra-thin pieces of spruce), but he’s spent years perfecting it. Adam Wehsely designed the MADA—an electric guitar as groovy as a Jaguar E-Type and as sexy as Brigitte Bardot. While examining a bowl made out of Hempstone (an Austrian-invented hemp cellulose material well-suited for creating curvy, sensual forms), the Viennese designer noticed it resonated like a piece of maple—the best wood for making electric guitars. “My goal,” Wehsely says, “was to create the Venus of Guitars.” Musical luminaries around the world—such as Willie Nelson— now play the MADA. Visit the workshops of Vienna luthier Andreas Neubauer to see how the magic is made. Of course, the female figure inspires much of Austria’s fashion design too. Check out Lena Hoschek of Graz, whose brightly colored, traditional fabric and print designs emphasize a woman’s natural curves.

“Late sixties feminism tried to banish the natural female form from the world,” she says. “By returning to the fifties, I am starting a truly feminine revolution.” Designer Susanne Bisovsky shares Hoschek’s interest in paradox. When Helmut Lang asked her to create a latex dress, she began with a thin, latex slip that sensually clings to the woman’s body. To that she added an exterior sheath of Chantilly lace. Hal Espen of The New Yorker called the whimsical result—1995’s Dress of the Year—“both demure and erotic.” If you visit Bisovsky’s shops now, you’ll see how she’s returned to the traditional costumes of the Alpine countryside, generally known as Tracht. With vision and a very deft touch, Bisovksy takes the most elegant styles of the old, landed aristocracy and transforms them into an arresting, new “Austrian Look.” At Anna Aichinger, you’ll find a designer who prefers black and white with clear, simple lines. “Growing up in Vienna,” she says, “I think that the Wiener Werkstaette and especially Josef Hoffmann influenced me, even if I wasn’t fully aware of it.” Like Hoffmann, Aichinger never fails to design effective, new forms. Her clothes enable a woman to strike a balance between potent sexuality and professional dignity. When it’s time to take a rest from shopping for designer fashions and touring fine-craft workshops, sip on some Viennese coffee and enjoy the sublime comfort of Austrian functional design. Viennese craftsman Michael Thonet’s bentwood chairs furnish many of the country’s cafes and coffee houses, providing comfort and a simple grace that prompted Le Corbusier to remark that “Never has anything been created more elegant and better in its conception, more precise in its execution, and more excellently functional.” It’s an apt description to remember as you tour Austria, home to many of the world’s leading innovators in design.

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Traditional and Timeless: Fashion designer Susanne Bisovsky experiments with Tracht, the traditional costume of the countryside, and manages to create something enchanting and new. bottom

The Neue Wiener Werkstaette executes the work of top designers with traditional handcraftsmanship. Its graceful Donna Sofa would complement any interior.

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Leonid Rath recently inherited the famous Austrian glass and crystal manufacturing business Lobmeyr in Vienna. His grandfather Hans Harald Rath designed the splendid Starburst chandeliers at the Metropolitan Opera. Over coffee and ginger ale, Leonid Rath speaks about his fascination with the material of glass:

“The great thing about glass is, it’s a very quick [process]. You have to catch the moment of time went it takes shape. When you watch a glassblower, it’s like a dance. Every timing and movement has to be perfect. It’s like watching a piano player. Nothing comes consciously, it’s all subconscious. You don’t think about the shape and what’s coming out. There is coincidence [involved] and a huge potential for errors and mistakes. If we do a production with crystal we have to sort out over 50 percent.” To listen to this podcast and others, visit: promotions.artinfo.com/austria/

WHAT TO BUY | WHERE TO STAY

LEONID R ATH LOBME YER ON AUSTRIAN DE SIGN

Hollmann Beletage | Vienna Hollmann Beletage, located in the heart of historic Vienna, is a boutique hotel with designer furniture, a small library, open fireplace and piano, living-room suites, and a relaxing (albeit small) spa. The stylish little hotel with a friendly staff is like a home away from home. www.hollmann-beletage.at

In 1995, the Vienna Chamber of Commerce established the umbrella brand WIEN PRODUCTS. Today its membership consists of fifty firms that are committed to executing creative new designs with traditional workmanship. The successful cooperation of these firms carries on with the WIEN PRODUCTS Collection. “Our goal is to support WIEN PRODUCTS in building a first-rate line of designer products and to continue their development over the next years,” said Chamber of Commerce president Brigitte Jank. The WIEN PRODUCTS Collection 2008 includes wares from the porcelain manufacturer Augarten, Backhausen interior textiles, J. & L. Lobmeyr, Skrein – The Jewelry Workshop, Halder, A.E. Koechert, Lichterloh, Muehlbauer, and the Wiener Silberschmiede Werkstätte. The Chamber of Commerce provides export assistance to the fifty WIEN PRODUCTS firms because of their highest quality standards, excellent service, and expression of Vienna’s distinct flair and aesthetic. www.wienproducts.at

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Bottom photo: Designs by Augarten, Lobmeyr and the Wiener Silberschmiede Werkstätte.

WIEN PRODUCTS Collection 2008

Tablet Hotels | Vienna DO & CO hotel is a modernist landmark with interiors by hot Dutch designers, FG Stijl, and a rooftop restaurant that has long been one of Vienna’s favorites. Its elevated position commands a view of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and its open-plan guest rooms are innovative and high tech. The DO &CO restaurant has achieved international fame for the quality and variety of its cuisine, with its menu offering everything from sashimi to schnitzel. The DO & CO is one of more than 1,500 exceptional hotels featured on Tablet Hotels, the independent reference for boutique and luxury hotels worldwide. Tablet Hotels’ unbiased selection includes inexpensive boutiques as well as haute luxury palaces, medieval castles and avant-garde design hotels. Visit TabletHotels.com to reserve an exclusive promotional rate at the DO & CO or find and reserve other unique hotels both in Austria and around the world. www.tablethotels.com/DoCo

Le Méridien | Vienna Entwining the old & the new, a fascinating hotel epitomizes 21st century European lifestyle. Modern design behind a historical façade. Urban chic, exciting, and captivating. An inspiring showroom for art and design. Ultra attentive service for sophisticated travellers. An open space for demanding individuality. 294 ultra styled and high tech rooms and suites, 8 conference rooms, restaurant, bar, café and a wellness area with indoor pool and fitness center. ROOMS Rooms are equipped with a 107 cm plasma TV. The free mini bar and high speed internet are generous touches that add to Le Méridien’s unique hospitality. RESTAURANTS & BARS Shambala combines striking contemporary design with experimental and exotic cuisine. The Shambala Bar is a major hangout for the city’s trend setters, with tucked away niches for loungers and the grooviest DJs in town. www.lemeridien.com/vienna

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