They hoped to create a new style that owed nothing to historical influence. Secession artists were concerned, above all else, with exploring the possibilities of art outside the confines of academic tradition. Der Kunst ihre Freiheit." ("To every age its art. Above its entrance was placed the phrase "Der Zeit ihre Kunst. The Secession building could be considered the icon of the movement. Unlike other movements, there is not one style that unites the work of all artists who were part of the Vienna Secession. On 14 June 1905 Gustav Klimt and other artists seceded from the Vienna Secession due to differences of opinion over artistic concepts. In 1903, Hoffmann and Moser founded the Wiener Werkstätte as a fine-arts society with the goal of reforming the applied arts (arts and crafts). The Klimt frieze has been restored and can be seen in the gallery today. A statue of Beethoven by Max Klinger stood at the center, with Klimt's Beethoven frieze mounted around it. The 14th Secession exhibition, designed by Josef Hoffmann and dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven, was especially famous. The group earned considerable credit for its exhibition policy, which made the French Impressionists somewhat familiar to the Viennese public. The Berlin and Munich Secession movements preceded the Vienna Secession, which held its first exhibition in 1898. The Secession artists objected to the prevailing conservatism of the Vienna Künstlerhaus with its traditional orientation toward Historicism. Although Otto Wagner is widely recognised as an important member of the Vienna Secession he was not a founding member. The Vienna Secession was founded on 3 April 1897 by artists Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Max Kurzweil, Wilhelm Bernatzik and others. Its official magazine was called Ver Sacrum. The first president of the Secession was Gustav Klimt, and Rudolf von Alt was made honorary president. This movement included painters, sculptors, and architects. This Vienna Secession Exhibition Hall became an icon of the new movement and is used till this day as a showroom for modern art.The Vienna Secession (German: Wiener Secession also known as the Union of Austrian Artists, or Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs) was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian artists who had resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists, housed in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. And the first step was an exhibition hall. The new Secession movement was founded by artists like Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Joseph Maria Olbrich and others.Īs they weren’t allowed to show their art in traditional exhibitions, they had to organize some on their own. They wanted to express themselves in a new, young way, and to create an original art style that wasn’t a mere copy of former styles. However, the young secessionist artists objected strongly to this uninspired concept of art. This conservatism in art was later referred to as Historicism. The trendy style in architecture was a melting pot of all previous styles, often put together in one building. In painting and sculpture, a true-to-life depiction of “classical” motifs was promoted, especially biblical, mythological or historical scenes. This traditional approach restricted the artists in their choice of artistic style and subject. This new art movement, which was similar to other Art Nouveau movements in Europe, was critical of the traditional confines of art as it was taught at the renowned art academies.Īt the time, the prevailing artistic style was conservative and retro-minded. The Art Nouveau Movement’s Exhibition Hall in Vienna, which is mostly referred to as Vienna Secession Building, was erected in 1897, supervised by its architect Joseph Maria Olbrich.Īt the end of the 19th century, a group of young Viennese artists seceded from the long-established Association of Austrian Artists and founded a group of their own, which they called Vienna Secession (Wiener Secession).