Oswald Haerdtl

Oswald Haerdtl (1899-1959) was an Austrian architect, designer and professor. He was born and raised in Vienna, Austria and studied at the Universität für Angewandte Kunst (University of Applied Arts) in Vienna. In 1922, he became assistant professor in the master class of Josef Hoffmann at the university. He found a modern architectural language unusual for Vienna, which was based on the simple element of the surface and was influenced by De Stijl. Then in 1924 he became a member of Josef Hoffmann's private atelier. Haerdtl proceeded to design architecture and interiors for residential and commercial buildings throughout Austria and Poland, as well as products for manufacturers such as J. L. Lobmeyr and the Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik. He re-established the Austrian CIAM (Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne) after Second World War.

Recognized as one of the most respected designer-architects of the interwar and postwar period, Haerdtl has had several gallery and museum exhibitions.  His designs are of great interest to connoisseur and craftsmen. His design of lead-free crystal candy dishes for J. L. Lobmeyr debuted as at the famed “Exposition des Arts Décoratifs” in Paris in 1925. The dome-covered hemispherical bowl made from mouth-blown muslin glass and supported by a thin stem on a flat, circular foot was exceptionally simple for its time. They are a testament to the timelessness of great design.