2026 / 2027 | Design, Displacement and Donkeys: The Fractured Life of Egon Riss

From February 2026 to November 2027. 

Viennese architect-designer Egon Riss (1901–64) is one of the Isokon Flats’ more enigmatic residents: renowned for the characterful Penguin Donkey and Gull he designed for Isokon Furniture, but little-known in Britain for his significant contributions to architecture and industry.

Photo: Pritchard Papers / UEA

This exhibition for the first time brings together the complete story of Riss's life: his acclaimed debut in Red Vienna, his wartime displacement to London, and his monumental works for the Scottish coal industry. 

Photo: Architectural Press Archive / RIBA Collections