Hans Hollein

Hans Hollein received many early impulses in the USA

Hans Hollein was born in Vienna on 30th March 1934. As the son of an electrical engineer and scion of a family of mining engineers, he was born into an understanding of technology. After attending the Bundesgewerbeschule in Vienna, he studied under Clemens Holzmeister at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, and a scholarship then allowed him to continue his education in the USA, where he received many formative impulses. He studied first in Chicago at the Illinois Institute of Technology, then acquired a Master of Architecture at the University of California in Berkeley. While travelling by car through the United States and Mexico, Hollein studied the villas built by his compatriot Rudolph Michael Schindler as well as the pueblos of the North American Indians. On his subsequent return to Vienna, Hollein encountered a young art and architecture scene emerging which wanted to distance itself from the pure functionalism of post-war architecture and break new ground.

Hollein wanted to understand the past, but not copy it

In his own words, Hans Hollein wanted to "liberate architecture from building", to think of architecture not as a building but as a work of art. In particular, the assembly line construction method often practised after the war was a thorn in his side, and with his first major commission, the Retti boutique in Vienna, he succeeded in creating a fascinating mixture of Pop Art and Art Deco styles. He drew his inspiration from the history of art and architecture, whereby his explicit aim was not simply to take which was pleasing from a stock of existing masterpieces, but rather to understand the history of their origin and derive his own new concepts from it. This first project was a great success, attracted international attention and was honoured with the American Reynolds Award. In the decades that followed, he designed museums, concert halls, cultural centres and even a skyscraper in Europe, the USA, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. His most famous works include the Haas House in Vienna and the Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach.

Hans Hollein’s mantra: “Everything is architecture”

Hans Hollein was more than just an architect: he was a designer, sculptor and object artist who recognised deeper connections, drew connecting lines, and questioned existing standards. In addition to his award-winning architecture, Hollein designed furniture, concert grand pianos and door handles, created stage sets, was responsible for exhibitions, and from 1964 to 1970, was editor of the Viennese magazine Bau. For the artist, this versatility was logical and natural, because according to his famous mantra, everything is architecture. Hollein's plans sometimes achieved international fame even when they were not realised: The museum designed for Guggenheim in Salzburg's Mönchsberg, which was to be built into the mountain, went around the world as an idea. Hans Hollein received numerous prizes and awards for his work, including the Golden Füger Medal in 1954, the City of Vienna Architecture Prize in 1974, the German Architecture Prize in 1983, the Pritzker Prize in 1985, the Grand Federal Cross of Merit in 1997 and, most recently, the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria in 2009.

Hans Hollein died on 24th April 2014 in Vienna.