329 - *Architektur* by Joseph Maria Olbrich: an extensive collection of plates illustrating Art Nouveau; *Architektur* by Joseph Maria Olbrich: an extensive collection of plates illustrating Art Nouveau

*Architektur* by Joseph Maria Olbrich: an extensive collection of plates illustrating Art Nouveau; *Architektur* by Joseph Maria Olbrich: an extensive collection of plates illustrating Art Nouveau An extensive collection of hundreds of loose plates taken from the famous *Architektur* series by Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867–1908), published in Berlin by Ernst Wasmuth in the early 20th century. The introductory letter, dated Darmstadt 1904, accompanies this extraordinary record of the design work of one of the leading figures of the Vienna Secession and Jugendstil. The plates illustrate the variety of his work—from buildings to interior designs, from furnishings to ornamental elements and the applied arts—conveying a unified conception of design in which architecture and decoration work together to create harmonious and modern spaces. Through a refined graphic language—characterized by rigorous geometries, stylized plant motifs, and sophisticated compositional solutions—the work documents the renewal of the European decorative arts in the early 20th century and the ideal of a synthesis among the various artistic disciplines promoted by Olbrich. A collection of great interest to the history of architecture and design, it bears witness to the aesthetic ambition of Jugendstil and its influence on the visual culture of the early 20th century. Joseph Maria Olbrich’s Architektur: an extensive collection of plates illustrating the Jugendstil