Otto Wagner
(born July 13, 1841, Penzing, near Vienna, Austrian Empire — died April 11, 1918, Vienna) Austrian architect and teacher. In 1893 his general plan (not executed) for Vienna won a major competition, and in 1894 he was appointed professor at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste. As a teacher, Wagner soon broke with tradition by insisting on function, material, and structure as the bases of architectural design. Among his notable buildings, all in the
Art Nouveau style, are a number of stations for the City Railway of Vienna (1894 – 97) and the Postal Savings Bank (1904 – 06). The latter, which had little decoration, is recognized as a milestone in the history of modern architecture, particularly for the curving glass roof of its central hall. Wagner's lectures were published in 1895 as
Moderne Architektur.
For more information on Otto Wagner, visit Britannica.com.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.