Vienna Secession
Description
The Vienna Secession (German: Wiener Secession) was an art movement formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian artists who had resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists, housed in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. Led by Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Otto Wagner, the movement rejected conservative academic traditions and championed international contemporary art across painting, sculpture, and architecture. They established their own exhibition hall, the Secession Building, designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich, which became a monumental architectural prototype for early 20th-century modernism and Art Deco. Read more ↗
Key Artists
Gustav Klimt
Founding leader and first president of the Vienna Secession who revolutionized Austrian painting with his dazzling Golden Phase, ornamental symbolism, and erotic allegorical masterpieces.
Joseph Maria Olbrich
Brilliant architect who co-founded the Secession and designed its iconic Secession Building in 1898 as a permanent architectural sanctuary and exhibition palace for modern art.
Josef Hoffmann
Pioneering architect and designer who organized revolutionary Secession exhibitions and co-founded the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903, uniting fine art with furniture and geometric craft.
Koloman Moser
Master graphic artist and designer who co-founded the Secession and designed the famous square layouts and stylized covers for its official art magazine, 'Ver Sacrum'.
Otto Wagner
The revered patriarch of modern Viennese architecture who joined the Secession in 1899, championing functional materials, geometric ornament, and modern urban infrastructure.
Carl Moll
Prominent painter and organizer who served as president of the Secession in 1901, fostering international modernist exhibitions and creating luminous pointillist-influenced landscapes.
Famous Artworks
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Fun Facts
On April 3, 1897, Gustav Klimt and nineteen fellow artists resigned from the conservative Vienna Künstlerhaus to form the Vienna Secession; to finance their iconic exhibition hall designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich in 1898, the artists raised funds from private patrons and Karl Wittgenstein (father of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein).
↗ Source: britannica.com
The Secession Building's magnificent open-work dome of gilded iron laurel leaves is affectionately nicknamed 'The Golden Cabbage' (Der goldene Krauthäupl) by the citizens of Vienna.
↗ Source: secession.at