Critique, creativity, architecture. "Hans Hollein, transFORMS" in the Centre Pompidou

«Hans Hollein transFORMS» is an exhibition offered by the Centre Pompidou in Paris about the architect Hans Hollein (1934-2014), which aims to better understand the coherence between the creative and critical approaches of the Austrian architect, as he presents his different facets among which those of artist, theorist, designer and exhibition curator stand out.

"This exhibition was conceived as a large collaborative installation that resembles an archaeology of the contemporary industrial world, based on a project that Hollein defined as a 'conceptualizer'."

Frédéric Migayrou, curator of “Hans Hollein transFORMS”.

Today, the vision of his «style» as postmodern deserves a deeper study in light of his participation in the various movements that shaped post-avant-garde from the 1960s to the 1980s, ranging from informalism to conceptualism and the radical architecture movement.

Hans Hollein in seinem mobilen Büro [Hans Hollein dans son bureau mobile], 1969. Tirage photographique sur papier, 30,5 × 43 cm, Photographie, n. c. Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne – Centre de création industrielle, Paris Don de l’architecte, 2000. Photograph courtesy by Private Archive Hollein, Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Jean-Claude Planchet/Dist. GrandPalaisRmn.

In 1987, the Centre Pompidou devoted a significant exhibition to Hollein in the Forum, and after he passed away, the Centre Pompidou - Musée National d’Art Moderne acquired a vast collection in 2016, including installations, models, drawings and documentation on all aspects and covering all periods of his work.

With his first research into the concept of space (1958-1962) and on architecture-sculpture in Austria and the United States, followed by the ‘Architektur’ exhibition with Walter Pichler (Galerie Nächst St. Stephan, 1963) and his collages on the urban scale (now at the MoMA), the first phase of his work links in closely with Conceptualism, especially through his participation in the catalogues and exhibitions devoted to this movement.

From 1965 onwards, he played an active role in editing Bau magazine in Austria, while still working on noteworthy exhibitions including ‘Austriennale’ (Triennale di Milano, 1968), ‘MAN transFORMS’ (Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, 1976) and installations such as Die Turnstunde (Städtisches Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach, 1984). His international reputation was confirmed by the creation of his iconic façade featuring a series of columns, for the founding exhibition of postmodernism ‘La Strada Novissima’ at the 1980 Venice Biennale.

Vue de l'installation "Pneumatische Strukturen" [Structures pneumatiques]. Installation de trois gonflables monumentaux, exposition « Österreichische Bildhauer der Gegenwart » [Sculpteurs autrichiens contemporains], Kapfenberg (Autriche), 1967. Tirage photographique sur papier, 23,5 × 18 cm, Photographie : Karin Mack. Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne – Centre de création industrielle, Paris. Collection de la famille Hollein, don de la Clarence Westbury Foundation, 2016. Photograph courtesy by Private Archive Hollein, Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Janeth Rodriguez-Garcia/Dist. GrandPalaisRmn. Photograph by Karin Mack, accord reçu.

After designing several shops, including Retti (1966) and Schullin I and II (1974-1976), Hollein worked on a large number of architectural projects in Austria, such as the Haas Haus (1990) opposite St. Stephan cathedral in Vienna’s main square, and on some major creations further afield such as the Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach (1982), the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt (1991), and Vulcania (2002) in Auvergne, France.

Exhibition path
If the Austrian Hans Hollein (1934–2014) is widely recognized as an architect, his work extends far beyond this field. As an artist, theorist, designer, and exhibition curator, he embodied a total commitment to all areas of creation, staying true to his manifesto, "Everything is Architecture."

At the turn of the 1960s, his early research on space and architecture, along with his collages exploring urban structures, brought him closer to Informal Art, Conceptual Art, and Radical Architecture. From 1965 onward, he became actively involved in editing the Bau magazine and multiplied his contributions to highlight the psychophysical and cognitive dimensions of architecture. He conceived major exhibitions such as “Austriennale” and ”MAN transFORMS”, as well as installations like Die Turnstunde (1984), revealing a continuous reflection on form, its permanence, and its transformations.

Installation Raum mit durchschreitbaren Wänden [Pièce avec parois franchissables], aile latérale du pavillon, 1972. Vue intérieure, tirage photographique sur papier, 23,9 × 17,8 cm, Photographie : Franz Hubmann. Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne – Centre de création industrielle, Paris. Collection de la famille Hollein, don de la Clarence Westbury Foundation, 2016. Photograph courtesy by Private Archive Hollein. Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Janeth Rodriguez-Garcia/Dist. GrandPalaisRmn. Photograph by Franz Hubmann / brandstaetter images.

The creation of his iconic façade for the founding exhibition of postmodernism, the Strada Novissima, at the Venice Biennale in 1980, solidified his international reputation. However, his association with this “style” deserves to be reconsidered in light of his participation in various movements that shaped the post-avant-garde.

Hollein’s early works, such as the Retti (1965) and Schullin I (1974) boutiques in Vienna, as well as the museums in Mönchengladbach (1982) and Frankfurt (1991), paved the way for numerous large-scale projects, including the Haas Haus (1990) in Vienna and the Vulcania park (2002) in Auvergne.

Architecture, projects and creations 
Hans Hollein saw architecture as an interaction between the symbolic and the functional. Drawing on his experience of creating art installations, he developed a spatial language based on sculptural forms and metaphors. With the Städtisches Abteiberg Museum (1972-1982), he inaugurated a new building typology for contemporary art museums, interacting with the urban context and breaking with linear configurations. The unfinished Museum im Mönchsberg project (1989-1990) took his thinking on integrating earthly elements a step further, culminating in the Vulcania amusement park (1994-2002) in Auvergne, where architecture becomes a metaphorical volcano. His projects, such as the housing complex in Berlin (1983-1985) and the Frankfurt museum (1982-1991), combine volumes, colours and materials to generate visual polysemy. The Haas Haus (1985-1990), in Vienna, illustrates the culmination of his approach, drawing on references to the city’s architectural history.