Vienna Seccession Building, (Vienna, Austria) 1898, Art Neuvo, Secessionist

Vienna Secession Building

      The Secession building was constructed by Joseph Maria Olbrich and Josef Hoffman under the direction Gustav Klimt, 1898. At the time, Austria was resistant to the new waves of art spreading through Europe, and their repressive sentiments led to the outbreak of artists taking a stand for artistic freedom. The artists banded together to form the Vienna Secession. This building was their new exhibition center, and it was intended to be an architectural manifesto of their revolt against the art institutions of Vienna, in the name of artistic freedom. Although the building came under great scrutiny, many saw it as a temple-like structure and a sacred space where art can be free.

Front Entrance

Left side view

      Olbrich was a student of Otto Wagner, a well known professor at the school of architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He was a well versed in the design of Art-Nuevo, and combined with the inspiration of the Secession groups more geometric and repetitious style, it led to to the development of the Secession building’s aesthetic. It’s design is a much more paired down version of Art-Nuevo, but with their own simplified style. The façade is stark white with minimal yet strategic ornamentation. The building has only three windows throughout the event space that sit high up, with the main source of natural light coming from large industrial sized skylights. The building features a Frieze of Beethoven made by Gustav Klimt, which is one of the most widely recognized artworks of the secession style. Centered at the top of the building are four short pylons suspending the focal point of the building, which is a larger perforated golden metal dome with an extensive laurel and berry motif. This same symbol can be found on different parts of the building such as on the frame of the entrance, the pilasters, and along the adjacent facades of the building. Above the entrance the motto of the movement can be found:

                            “To every age it’s art, to every art it’s freedom”

     The layout was axial and there was a large gallery at the center for exhibitions. Olbrich designed moveable interior partitions and columns so that the interior layout could be modified to suit the needs of each individual exhibition. The open layout was intended to allow for paintings to be displayed in harmony with sculptural art in the same display space. This has been perceived by some as an initial move in the direction of functionalism.

This building was under much scrutiny during the build process. Originally they wanted to build on Ringstrasse, which was essentially the traditional arts epicenter, but they were met with heavy backlash by the Municipal Council, They were then forced to choose another location just off Ringstrausse, on Friedrichstrasse. They were granted permission to have the building erected for ten years. Over time the Vienna Secession split up over conflicting view points on what is an acceptable form of art. Although the group did not stay together, their stance on art enabled Vienna to open up to other forms of art. The structure itself is unique, but as with many structures over the history of architecture, in this case, it was more about the statement made by the building of the structure, as oppose to the structure itself. 

Bibliography:

“A HISTORY.” Vienna Secession - A History, www.theviennasecession.com/vienna-secession/.

“Secession Hall Building.” Secession Hall Building |Architectuul, architectuul.com/architecture/secession-hall-building

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Austria/East/Vienna/Vienna/photo386947.htm

http://www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/issues/5/whatever-happened-to-total-design