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 (; also known as the Union of Austrian Artists or ) is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian painters, graphic artists, sculptors and architects, including Josef Ho ...

movement and a co-founder of

Wiener Werkstätte The Wiener Werkstätte ("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 brought to ...

. 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). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...

s to magazine vignettes; fashion; stained glass windows, porcelains and ceramics, blown glass, tableware, silver, jewelry, and furniture.

Biography

Moser was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

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 the ...

, 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. Between 1900 and 1902, he published with Martin Gerlach and

Carl Otto Czeschka Carl Otto Czeschka (22 October 1878 – 30 July 1960) was an Austrian painter and graphic designer associated with the Wiener Werkstätte. Life Carl Otto Czeschka was half Bohemian and half Moravian origin. His father Wenzel Czeschka ...

a three volume portfolio titled '' Die Quelle ''("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 Austrians, Austrian-Sudeten Germans, Moravian architect and designer. He was among the founders of Vienna Secession and co-establisher of the Wiener Werkstätte. His most famous architect ...

founded

, 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 (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

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 (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

and glass windows for the

Kirche am Steinhof Kirche am Steinhof, also called the Church of St. Leopold, is the Roman Catholic oratory of the Otto-Wagner-Spital in the area of Steinhof in Vienna, Austria. The building, designed by Otto Wagner, is considered one of the most important Art N ...

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 mo ...

. In 1905, together with the Klimt group, he separated from the

. 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 detailed Moser's despair over who would succeed to his position at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Moser died on 18 October 1918; he was buried three days later in the Hietzing Cemetery.

Legacy

Moser was the lead designer for Austria's leading art journal ''

Ver Sacrum ''Ver sacrum'' ("sacred spring") is a religious practice of ancient Italic peoples, especially the Sabelli (or Sabini) and their offshoot Samnites, concerning the dedication of colonies. It was of special interest to Georges Dumézil, according ...

'' (‘Sacred Spring’ in Latin), the official magazine of the Vienna Secession from 1898 to 1903. This art journal paid great attention to art and design and was managed 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 (; "Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany, Austria and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German and Austrian cou ...

style, originally designed by Othmar Schimkowitz. 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, colour lithograph Koloman Moser 005.jpg, ''Venus in the Grotto'', ca. 1914 Kolo Moser - Abimelech - 1899.jpeg, Artwork 'Ambilech' for Joh. Backhausen & Söhne, 1899 Beer Glasses LACMA M.2004.176.3.1-.6.jpg, Beer Glasses, Armchair MET DT8308.jpg, Armchair designed by Moser and Josef Hoffmann, 1903 Wiener werkstätte, koloman moser, recipiente in lamiera, 1904 ca.JPG, Basket in painted perforated metal, 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 graphic artists Austrian designers Austrian illustrators Deaths from cancer in Austria-Hungary Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Members of the Vienna Secession Art Nouveau designers Art Nouveau illustrators Wiener Werkstätte Artists from Austria-Hungary