Gustav Siegel (Vienna 1880 – Vienna 1970)
was a defining figure in Austrian furniture design at the dawn of modernism. After training at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, he worked closely with Josef Hoffmann and was employed as a senior designer at the furniture manufacturer Jacob & Josef Kohn. He played a central role in the formal renewal of bentwood furniture, whose technical innovations and clear elegance were style-defining at the time. Together with Kohn, Siegel also presented his designs at the important World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, a milestone in international design history. Many of his models were widely imitated and continue to shape the image of early modern furniture design to this day. His works are represented in the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.