6 June 2024

Interested in beautiful books? One of the publications honored as one of the 'Most Beautiful Books in Austria' at the State Prize ceremony is about a designer who worked in the fields of textile design and fashion

Fashion.at recommended 'Stars, Feathers, Tassels. The Wiener Werkstätte artist Felice Rix-Ueno (1893-1967)' already in November last year, when magazine publisher Karin Sawetz had the chance to read through the English/German publication, which was released as an accompanying catalog to the eponymous exhibition on the life and work of the designer at the MAK Museum of Applied Arts (article). Recently, on June 3, the publication was honored as one of the country's most beautiful books at the Austrian State Prize ceremony. The biographical catalog of Felice Rix-Ueno's works was selected from 183 submissions as one of the 15 publications to be honored by the Federal Ministry for Art, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKÖS) and the Austrian Book Trade Association (Hauptverband des Österreichischen Buchhandels).

Even though the book didn't win one of the three state prizes, it is the most interesting for those interested in fashion and fabric design, enamel works and fashion accessories such as bags. It is qualitatively valuable in content and form. The designer's life is set in the context of the political circumstances of the 1930s in Austria, as well as her work in Japan, where she and her husband founded the International Design Institute. In its citation, the jury noted that the design of the book masterfully meets the challenge of visually conveying diversity: the textile texture of the flap cover serves as a prelude to an engaging sensory experience, both for viewing and reading. The book, designed by graphic designer Willi Schmid, was honored in the category 'Contemporary Art Books, Photo Art, Architecture, Exhibition Catalogs'.

The competition 'Austria's Most Beautiful Books' (Schönste Bücher Österreichs) has been held since 1952. Since 2002 it has been organized jointly by the Austrian Book Trade Association and the Ministry of Art. The website https://www.bmkoes.gv.at/kunst-und-kultur/preise/staatspreise-kunst-und-kultur/staatspreis-schoenste-buecher-oesterreichs.html lists the winners of the State Prize from 2002 to 2023.
All 15 selected books can be viewed at https://schoenstebuecher.at/preistraeger-2023/.

Images, from left: The pictures show the flap cover of the MAK publication 'Sterne, Federn, Quasten. Die Wiener-Werkstätte-Künstlerin Felice Rix-Ueno (1893–1967)' / 'Stars, Feathers, Tassels. The Wiener Werkstätte artist Felice Rix-Ueno (1893–1967)' and two pages with images of designs with descriptions. Photos: © MAK/Nathan Murrell.