Joseph Urban

by John Loring

Joseph Urban is a lavish celebration of this prolific artist, architect, and designer, whose accomplishments include magnificent Art Deco buildings, spectacular Ziegfeld Follies productions, and dramatic sets for the Metropolitan Opera. Joseph Urban (1872–1933) began his career as an architect and artist in Vienna before moving to America in 1911. In 1914 he moved to New York, where he ultimately signed on as set designer of the Metropolitan Opera. He also became immersed in an astonishing array of outside projects, designing nightclubs, hotel lounges, skyscrapers, theaters, stage and film sets, and even children’s books. Though his creative output was immense, little remains of his work except the Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, and the New School and the base of the Hearst Tower in New York.

Praise for Joseph Urban :

"a trove of his luminous renderings and photos" -- Elle Décor

Genres: Theatre, Architecture

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

John Loring is design director emeritus of Tiffany & Co, where he was design director from 1979 to 2009. He is the author of numerous books about Tiffany's and art in general and a longtime contributor to Architectural Digest.

Reviews

[Michael Heath-Caldwell]

Fascinating book looking at the designer and architect Joseph Urban Very dramatic and exotic style in places, well suited to doing the backdrops and stage designs for Ziegfeld Follies and Metropolitan Opera. Designed a wide array of projects from theatres to shops.

[Lisa Daleiden-Brugman]

What a gorgeous book. I savored every illustration. Urban did set design, costumes and architecture. So enjoyable.