Koloman Moser (; 30 March 1868 – 18 October 1918) was an Austrian artist who exerted considerable influence on twentieth-century graphic art. He was one of the foremost artists of the
Vienna Secession
The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...
movement and a co-founder of
Wiener Werkstätte
The Wiener Werkstätte (engl.: ''Vienna Workshop''), established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria that bro ...
.
Moser designed a wide array of art works, including books and graphic works from
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
s to magazine vignettes; fashion; stained glass windows, porcelains and ceramics, blown glass, tableware, silver, jewelry, and furniture.
Biography
Moser was born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1868 to parents Josef and Thresia Moser (née Hirsch); he was the oldest of three siblings. studied at the
Wiener Akademie and the
Kunstgewerbeschule
A Kunstgewerbeschule (English: ''School of Arts and Crafts'' or S''chool of Applied Arts'') was a type of vocational arts school that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. The term Werkkunstschule was also used for thes ...
, where he also taught from 1899.
Moser's designs in architecture, furniture, jewellery, graphics, and tapestries helped characterise the work of this era. He drew upon the clean lines and repetitive motifs of classical Greek and Roman art and architecture in reaction to the Baroque decadence of his turn-of-the-century Viennese surroundings. In 1901/1902, he published a portfolio titled ''
Die Quelle
Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life.
Die may also refer to:
Games
* Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers
Manufacturing
* Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...
''("The Source") of elegant graphic designs for such things as tapestries, fabrics, and wallpaper.
In 1903, Moser and his colleague
Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann (15 December 1870 – 7 May 1956) was an Austrian- Moravian architect and designer. He was among the founders of Vienna Secession and co-establisher of the Wiener Werkstätte. His most famous architectural work is the Stoclet P ...
founded
Wiener Werkstätte
The Wiener Werkstätte (engl.: ''Vienna Workshop''), established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria that bro ...
, whose studios and artisans produced a number of aesthetically and functionally designed household goods, including glassware, flatware, silverware, rugs and textiles. In 1904, he created the
Apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
and glass windows for the
Kirche am Steinhof
Kirche am Steinhof, also called the Church of St. Leopold, is the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Oratory (worship), oratory of the Otto-Wagner-Spital in the area of Steinhof (Vienna), Steinhof in Vienna, Austria. The building, designed by Otto Wa ...
in Vienna, and designed the decoration of the Medallion House of the
Linke Wienzeile Buildings
The Linke Wienzeile Buildings are two apartment buildings in Vienna constructed by Otto Wagner in 1898-99 in the Vienna Secession style. They are both lavishly decorated with colorful tiles, sculpture and wrought iron. One house, at 40 Linke Wien ...
for architect
Otto Wagner
Otto Koloman Wagner (; 13 July 1841 – 11 April 1918) was an Austrian architect, furniture designer and urban planner. He was a leading member of the Vienna Secession movement of architecture, founded in 1897, and the broader Art Nouveau move ...
.
In 1905, together with the
Klimt
Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...
group, he separated from the
Vienna Secession
The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...
. The same year, he married
Editha (Ditha) Mautner von Markhof, an artist in her own right as well as the daughter to one of Austria's great industry fortunes. Due to internal conflicts and as his plans for reorganising the Werkstätte (to cope with financial problems) weren't realised, Moser withdrew from the Wiener Werkstätte in 1907.
Moser became ill with throat cancer in 1916. Correspondence with
Alfred Roller
Alfred Roller (2 October 1864 – 21 June 1935) was an Austrian painter, graphic designer, and set designer. His wife was Mileva Roller and they were members of the Viennese Secession movement.
Life and work
Roller was born in Brünn (Brn ...
detailed Moser's despair over who would succeed to his position at the
University of Applied Arts Vienna
The University of Applied Arts Vienna (german: Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, or informally just ''Die Angewandte'') is an arts university and institution of higher education in Vienna, the capital of Austria. It has had university sta ...
. Moser died on 18 October 1918; he was buried three days later in the
Hietzing Cemetery
The Hietzing Cemetery is a cemetery in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna.
Notable burials (selection)
* Alban Berg (1885–1935), composer
* Jean-Baptiste Clery (1759–1809), valet to King Louis XVI
* Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf (1852 ...
.
Legacy
Moser was one of the designers for Austria's leading art journal ''
Ver Sacrum''. This art journal paid great attention to design and was designed mainly by Moser, Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann.
One of Moser's most prominent designs used in a building (The Steinhof Church) was selected as a main motif of one of the most famous euro collectors coins: the Austrian 100 euro
Steinhof Church commemorative coin, minted on 9 November 2005. On the reverse of the coin, the Koloman Moser stained glass window over the main entrance can be seen. In the centre of the window is God the Father seated on a throne. The window is flanked with a pair of bronze angels in
Jugendstil
''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...
style, originally designed by
Othmar Schimkowitz
Othmar Schimkowitz (2 October 1864 in Tárts, Komárom County – 24 April 1947 in Graz) was a Hungarian-born architectural sculptor who worked on the greatest landmarks of the Vienna Secession.
Life
Schimkowitz studied at the Academy of Fin ...
.
On 3 May 2010
Swann Galleries auctioned the third volume in Moser's three-volume series "Die Quelle," containing 30 sumptuous decorations for flat surfaces, such as tapestries, wallpaper and fabrics, in the original portfolio. Each plate was double-sided, with a colour design on one side and a black-and-white design on the other. It sold for an auction record price of $12,600.
To commemorate the centennial of his death, the
Museum of Applied Arts Vienna (MAK) honored Moser with one of the most comprehensive solo shows to date (19 December 2018-22 April 2019).
Gallery
Bookcase_-_LACMA_M.2003.29.jpg, Bookcase
Koloman_Moser_-_Inlaid_Armoire_from_the_Eisler-Terramare_Apartment_Bedroom_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg, Inlaid Armorie
Armchair,_Der_reiche_Fischzug_(The_Rich_Catch_of_Fish)_LACMA_M.2000.180.39_(2_of_2).jpg, Armchair
Kolo_Moser_-_Möbel-Entwurf3_-_1903.jpeg, 1903
Koloman Moser 007.jpg, Poster for 'Frommes Kalender', 1899, color lithograph
Koloman Moser 005.jpg, ''Venus in the Grotto'', ca. 1914
Kolo Moser - Abimelech - 1899.jpeg, Artwork 'Ambilech' for Joh. Backhausen & Söhne, 1899
Kolo_Moser_-_Garten_mit_Springbrunnen_-_1911.jpeg, 1911
Kolo_Moser_-_Blühender_Kastanienbaum_-_ca1912.jpeg, 1912
Kolo_Moser_-_Bühnenbildentwurf_für_„Das_Phantom“1.jpeg, Set design for "Das Phantom"
Kolo Moser - Franz Joseph1 - 1908.jpeg, Emperor Franz Joseph on stamp by Kolo Moser 1908
Kolo Moser - 50 Kronen-Banknote - 1911.jpeg, Austrian-Hungarian 50 Crown Banknote by Kolo Moser 1911
Notes
Bibliography
* Stefan Üner: Koloman Moser. The Photographic Eye, in: ''PhotoResearcher'', No 31, Vienna 2019, p. 134–147.
*Stefan Üner: Die Kunst der Präsentation. Koloman Moser als Ausstellungsdesigner, in: ''Parnass'', 4/2018, p. 22–24.
*Stefan Üner: ''The Art Of Presentation. Koloman Moser As Exhibition Designer'', Dissertation. University of Applied Arts Vienna, Vienna 2016
*
*
*
*
*
*
*Thun-Hohenstein, Christoph; Witt-Dörring, Christian; Schmuttermeier, Elisabeth eds. (2019) ''Koloman Moser. Universalkünstler zwischen Gustav Klimt und Josef Hoffmann/Universal Artist between Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann'', exhibition catalogue for the MAK/Austrian Museum of Applied Art, Birkhäuser, Basel. .
*Witt-Dörring, Christian, ed. (2013) ''Koloman Moser. Designing Modern Vienna 1897/1907'', exhibition catalogue for the Neue Galerie New York, Prestel Verlag, New York. .
External links
Koloman Moser Online Catalogue RaisonnéKoloman Moser as a painter – Speech by Stefan ÜnerWiener Werkstätte (de/en)Koloman Moser at WOKA (de/en)Koloman Moser at Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), Vienna (de/en)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moser, Koloman
1868 births
1918 deaths
Artists from Vienna
Austrian stamp designers
Austrian designers
Austrian illustrators
Deaths from cancer in Austria
Deaths from prostate cancer
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni
Members of the Vienna Secession
Art Nouveau designers
Art Nouveau illustrators
Wiener Werkstätte