1870 - 1956 Josef Hoffman was born in Pirnitz, Moravia (now Chechoslovakia) in 1870. He studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Carl von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner, whose theories of a functional, modern architecture profoundly effected his architectural works. His style was characterized by great elegance and simple geometric forms. He won the Rome prize in 1895 and the following year joined the Wagner's office.
