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Max Fabiani

The exhibition at the Architekturzentrum Wien aims to provide a reassessment of the architect’s full legacy, as for a long time Fabiani’s work has received too little attention.

Born in Slovenia, Max Fabiani is considered one of the fathers of modern architecture in Vienna.

He worked at Otto Wagner’s Vienna Stadtbahn studio, where he designed the Portois & Fix premises on Ungargasse (1898–1900) and the Artaria Verlag publishing house on Kohlmarkt (1900–1901). In 1910 Fabiani demonstrated his modernity and willingness to compromise with the construction of the Urania. This adult education facility and observatory was one of the first of its kind, and also marks the end of the Ringstrasse.

Max Fabiani was, alongside Josef Plečnik, probably the most important Slovenian architect of international stature in the 20th century. Even though greater significance is ascribed to Plečnik in the world of architecture it cannot be overlooked that Fabiani was ranked high in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and enjoyed the highest respect as an architect in the artistic circles of Vienna. He was an associate of Otto Wagner’s, a member of the Vienna Secession, a senior functionary in the Architect’s Association, the first architect to qualify in the monarchy, personal advisor to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and a professor at the Vienna technical college. He also supported and promoted Slovenian architects, such as Josip Costaperario, Janez Jager and Josef Plečnik. With his many years of teaching at the technical college he was a decisive figure for the subsequent generation of architects, including Josef Frank, Oskar Strnad, Oskar Wlach and Walter Sobotka.

The extent of Fabiani’s influence on Plečnik, who implemented a number of the former’s ideas in Ljubljana, is slowly coming to light. So too, are the many parallels in the two architects’ lives. Both turned away from Vienna and returned to their homeland after the First World War. They were both untouched by trends in the modern architecture of their time, preferring instead to follow their own artistic convictions. Both were awarded Golden Doctorates in Technical Sciences at the same time by the Vienna technical college (on 22.02.1952). Prior to the outbreak of the First World War, Fabiani completed numerous major projects in Vienna, Ljubljana, Trieste and other cities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Furthermore, he published regularly. For a long time Fabiani’s work has, sadly, received too little attention. This exhibition aims to provide a reassessment of the architect’s full legacy, and to reintroduce him as the expert he was to the three cultural spheres that meet in this context, Slovenia, Italy and Austria.

Max Fabiani, image courtesy Architekturzentrum Wien

Max Fabiani, image courtesy Architekturzentrum Wien

22 october – 30 November 2015
Max Fabiani. Architect of the monarchy
Curator: Andrej Hrausky
Project coordination, Az W: Alexandra Viehhauser
Architekturzentrum Wien
An exhibition by: the City Ljubljana
Supported by: Skica — The Slovenian Culture and Information Centre, Vienna; The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Vienna; The Culture Ministry of the Republic of Slovenia

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Max Fabiani

The exhibition at the Architekturzentrum Wien aims to provide a reassessment of the architect’s full legacy, as for a long time Fabiani’s work has received too little attention.

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