Koloman Moser

Koloman Moser studied at the Academy of Fine Arts with Franz Rumpler, Christian Griepenkerl and Josef Maria Trenkwald from 1885, and soon published his first book and magazine illustrations. Despite his early success, he continued his studies at the Kunstgewerbeschule, where he became a teacher from 1899 onwards. From 1892 he became a member of the "Siebener-Club" group of artists, before he played a decisive role in the founding of the Secession in Vienna in 1897. Together with Klimt, Hoffmann, and Roller, he has shaped the appearance of the Secession magazine "Ver Sacrum" and appears as a designer of exhibitions, catalogs and posters. In 1903 he founded the Wiener Werkstätte together with Josef Hoffmann and Fritz Wärndorfer and designed commodities and decoration from a wide range of materials as well as furnishings. After financial difficulties, he left the Wiener Werkstätte in 1907 - two years previously he left the Secession together with the Klimt Group. From 1910, Kolo Moser increasingly turned to his original profession, painting. He paints predominantly portraits and landscapes of quite individual color and finds after a long experimental phase to his individual style that is inspired by Ferdinand Hodler. Kolo Moser is one of the most important protagonists of Viennese art around 1900. As an artistic universal genius, he decisively influenced the epoch.