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Josef Frank (15.07.1885-08.01.1967) was an Austrian-born architect, who studied at the Vienna University of Technoligy. He created the Vienna School of Architecture,
and its concept of Modern houses, housing and interiors, together with Oskar Strnad. From 1919 to 1925 he taught at the Vienna School of Arts, and was a founding member
of the Vienna Werkbund. He was active not only as an architect, but also as artist and designer. Josef Frank was of Jewish ancestry, his parents were originally from Hungary,
and he himself adopted Swedish citizenship in the latter half of his life. He emigrated to Sweden in 1933 and gained the mentioned citizenship in 1939. Despite attempts to return
to Vienna, Josef Frank remained in Sweden after 1945 and died in Stockholm in 1967.
Early in his career, Josef Frank was engaged with social housing and and working class settlements. After participating in the Weissenhof Settlement in Stuttgart, Josef Frank became
initiator and leader of the 1932 Werkbundsiedlung in Vienna. In contrast to most other Vienna architects of the interwar period, Jose Frank preferred the idea of settlement over the creation
of so-called super blocks in the municipal housing. His formal language is dominated by functional forms, and he rejected facade decor. With his writings, Josef Frank polemized brillantly
but without success against the large representative municipal projects by Hubert Gessner and other students of Otto Wagner.
1929 House Beer - Vienna
1932 Werbund Settlement - Vienna