The Last Romantic
Friedrich Ludwig Berzeviczy (who – after his emigration to Italy in 1938 – took the name Federico von Berzeviczy-Pallacivini) was a substantial and continuous breath of fresh air to the rather conservative establishment across the Viennese Hofburg.
The impoverished scion of Hungarian-Italian nobility had gone to school and studied in Vienna. In the early 1930s distinguished architect and founding member of the “Wiener Werkstätte”, Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956), who valued his artistic talent, led Bezevicvzy-Pallavicini to Demel. Upon seeing one of the striving young artist’s many sensational interior designs, Hoffmann declared Berzeviczy to be “the last romantic”.
Federico Berzeviczy-Pallavicini commenced with a series of innovative store display designs that had previously been unknown to the Viennese. A 1:1 model of Demel’s store display was situated in his office on the third floor, which he used for his mock-ups before realizing them in the downstairs storefronts.
Until he sold the confiserie in 1972, Berzeviczy-Pallavicini created spectacular fairy-tale orchestrations using exquisite materials and elaborate designs for various seasons and festivities. To him, the store displays were the “theatre of the street”, which he arranged for the entertainment of passersby for whom a visit at Demel was unaffordable.
To this day Demel’s seasonal store displays are highly influenced by Berzeviczy-Pallavicini. His illustrations decorate the walls of the 1st floor and his most successful packaging designs are available in the shop.
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First window display Berzeviczy-Pallavicini made as owner of Demel in 1965
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Demel wrapping paper
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Sketch by Berzeviczy-Pallavicini
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Demel Kohlmarkt Pattern
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Sketch by Berzeviczy-Pallavicini
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Illustration from 1939
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Demel Pattern
