The «Hans Hollein transFORMS» exhibition provides a better understanding of the coherence between the creative and critical approaches of Austrian architect Hans Hollein (1934-2014). It showcases his most iconic pieces which themselves reflect research spanning over half a century.

Both an architect, urban planner, artist, designer, scenographer, professor, and publisher, Hans Hollein (1934–2014) built his work on the intuition that «Everything is architecture»—the title of the manifesto he published in 1968. Through models, drawings, and installations, the exhibition Hans Hollein transFORMS highlights the most iconic pieces of the Austrian architect, whose work weaves conceptual and formal connections with numerous avant-garde movements of the second half of the 20th century.

Practical info

«Hans Hollein transFORMS»
March 5 – June 2, 2025
Centre Pompidou
Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris
France

Although 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 1968 manifesto Everything is Architecture.

The exhibition Hans Hollein transFORMS aims to provide a deeper understanding of the coherence of his creative and critical approach. It highlights his most emblematic works, marking a research journey spanning more than half a century. His association with the postmodern movement deserves to be reexamined in light of his engagement with the various currents that shaped the post-avant-gardes from the 1960s to the 1980s, ranging from Informal Art to Conceptual Art and Radical Architecture.

Today, the view of his “style” as postmodern deserves further study in light of his involvement in the various movements that shaped the post-avant-gardism of the 1960s to 1980s, ranging from Informalism to Conceptualism and the Radical Architecture movement.

In 1987, the Centre Pompidou devoted a significant exhibition to him 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 Architekturskulptur in Austria and the United States, followed by the ‘Architektur’ exhibition with Walter Pichler (Galerie Nächst St. Stephan, 1963) and his collages on 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), ‘MANtransFORMS’ (Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, 1976) and installations such as Die Turnstunde (Städtisches Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach, 1984). His international reputation and his affiliation with this movement were 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.

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.