The sun., 1919-05-18

| Sano, the creation OF Pnuip M0eller,
a director of the Theatre Guild, to
whom credit is due for the excellent
production Of THE Bonds of Interest"
| Joseph Urban's principal success at
the Metropolitan Opera House this
year has been the new setting for
"Oberon," of which the distant towers
of Bagdad are shown here. In the
Austrian designer the theatre has one
of the most noted as well as one Of
the most versatile OF all the men who
have turned their attention to the
stage from other branches of art.
The famous Austrian artist, archi-
tect and illustrator was born in Vienna
on May 26. 1872. In this city he began
and finished his art studies. The first
reward OF his talent came in 1897.
when he won the Austrian Kaiser
prize for his illustrations to. the Mask
of the Red Death" Edgar Allan Poel.
He alone as artist architect ever re-
ceived this distinction. In May. 1908.
for the German Government Printing
Office in Berlin, he illustrated The
Chronicle OF the Three Sisters" q
book by I. A. X. Museus, receiving the
Austrian State Grand Medal at the In
ternational Artists Exhibition in
Vienna that year.
His First Success.
For the Bosnia Herzegovinian Gov
eminent he built and fully decorated
three pavilions at the Kaiser Jubilee
Exposition. In the same year Mr..
Urban was elected by a group Of
modern artists in Vienna the president
Of their association and while in this
official position built and decorated
their exhibit hall in Vienna, arranging
more than twenty exhibitions of
modern art. He won the competition
OF the Austrian architects for a bridge
and landscape gardening acCompani-
ment connecting symphony Hall with
the Palace OF Fine Arts in Vienna
This was opened to public use by the
4, Emperor Francis Joseph on the
fortieth anniversary of his reign. On
this occasion Mr. Urban received the
first prize and the Austrian gold cross
| with crown.
His chief work in 1899 was to de-
sign, construct and decorate and
entirely furnish the castle of Count
Carl Esterhazy in Pressburg, Hungary.
| In 1900 Mr.. Urban won the interna-
| tional competition for the Cars bridge
across the Neva, getting first prize.
| He was then sent to Paris by the
! Austrian Government to build and
decorate the Austrian artists pavilion,
and the judges of the exposition there
awarded to him the grand prize for the
interior decorations and the grand
medal for his Hungarian castle
sketches. Following upon these honors
he was presented by the Austrian EN-
peror with ,the Order of Francis Jo-
scph.
In 1901 the Austrian Government
sent Mr.. Urban to Missouri. L. s. A..
to build and decorate. in cooperation
| with other artists several pavilions
for the st. Louis Exposition. For the
interior decorations OF the art pavilion
he received the Grand Prize of st.
| Louis, for the carpet in same tho
grand medal and for his own exhibit
lions the Grand Prize OF the Art Fx-
position.
After these successes he supervised
the construction at Dresden OF the
| Austrian Horticultural Exposition,
first of its kind in Europe under artis-
tic supervision. Here he had con-
ferred upon him tho Order OF the
House of the King OF Saxony. Then
Mr.. Urban received from the Crown
Prince Luitpold the highest Bavarlan
distinctions for four international art
eXpositons In Munich: the grand med
al (rold) OF the City OF Venice (pos-
seSsed by very few artists for the
permanent Austrian art pavilion at the
international Art Exposition at Ven
ice. For the German Kaiser and
under his personal protection Mr..
Urban next illustrated an historic
work. THE German Hall OF Glory" OF
which only one hundred copies were
printed for museums for about ] 400
marks $4,000 each. On completing
this work he received a personal note
OF appreciation in the Emperors own
handwriting.
For the Austrian Emperor he next
illustrated a similar book. called Book
OF Honors and Victories" after which
he devoted himself again to archtec-
ture and built many villas near Vi
emma, in Lainz and Semmerng, with
all details of interior decorations and
| furnishings. He also won the compe-
tition for the town hall OF tNe city OF
| Vienna, n colossal piece of arChitec-
tural interior decoration. also building
| same, together with other artists. As
an appreciation. his name. with those
| OF his comrades, was engraved in a
| bronze tablet in the building
Mr. Urban then Illustrated twelve
fairy tales by Grimm, twelve fairy
tales by Andersen, sixteen Austrian
childrens songs. twelve pictures OF
childrens dreams by the German poet
SerPel. They were edited by German
| and Austrian publishing houses and It
was through this that theatrical man
| ayers became interested in his work.
| The demand for these works was so
| great that he decided TO devote his
| Continued on FolIomin1 Paoe)