Born in Vienna in 1868, Koloman Moser briefly attended trade school, honoring his father’s wish to see him in commerce. But he soon surrendered to his artistic inclinations, enrolling in 1885 in Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied painting.
When his father died unexpectedly in 1888, leaving the family in financial straits, Moser (1868–1918) helped out by doing illustrations for books and magazines. Meanwhile, he continued his painting studies, at the academy and then at the School of Arts and Crafts, starting in 1892. That was also the year that Moser, along with other young artists revolting against the Viennese art world’s devotion to naturalism, formed the Siebner Club, the precursor to the Vienna Secession.
Moser’s introduction during his last term at school to Gustav Klimt’s Allegory of Sculpture proved a turning point for the young artist. Christian Witt-Dörring, guest curator of the 2018–19 exhibition “Koloman Moser: Universal Artist between Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann” at the MAK in Vienna, noted a change in the artist’s drawing style. “Primarily inspired by the art of Japan, [Klimt] introduces new paper sizes, fragmented image details, and an emphasis on the line as opposed to the surface,” wrote Witt-Dörring in the exhibition’s catalogue.
A year later, in 1897, Moser together with Klimt, Carl Moll, Joseph Olbrich and Josef Hoffmann founded the Vienna Secession, a union of artists and designers determined to upend Austria’s artistic conservatism. The members were committed to making total works of art: Gesamtkunstwerken. Looking to the English Arts and Crafts Movement, with its guiding principle of unity of the arts, the group attempted to bring art back into everyday life and introduce a local modernism to fin-de-siècle Vienna. Moser, whose membership in the club also afforded him entry into upper-class Viennese society, turned his back on oil painting and forged ahead with Gesamtkunstwerk.
Moser created everything from exhibition design to facade ornamentation for the Secession Building, to graphic materials. Moser also produced posters and advertisements in his “modern style” for various companies. In 1898, he presented his first decor pieces, including hand-knotted rugs and cushion covers. In 1899, Moser began what would become a lifelong professorship at the School of Arts and Crafts. His repertoire now expanded to include furniture, ceramics and patterns like his trademark checkerboard design. He also moved into scenography and fashion and established himself as an interior designer.
The artist decorated his own home in 1902, after which he received a series of important commissions, notably the villa of textile industrialist Fritz Waerndorfer. It was Waerndorfer who provided the financial support that enabled Moser and Hoffmann in 1903 to found the Wiener Werkstätte, a platform for fully realizing their ideal of Gesamtkunstwerk. Two years later, Moser married Edith Mautner von Markhof, the daughter to one of Austria’s great industrial barons, and his work thrived.
In 1907, the Wiener Werkstätte ran into financial trouble. Losing faith in the unity of the arts and disillusioned with the group’s dependency on wealthy patrons like Waerndorfer, Moser left the Werkstätte. He returned to his original discipline, painting, which he continued to practice until his untimely death from cancer, in 1918.
Today, Koloman Moser’s work, from his metal vases to his jewelry to his interiors, remains sought-after and revered. Browse Moser's radically modern creations at 1stDibs.
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #37: "Music" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art w...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #30: "Love" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art w...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #94: "Heads" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil style (Youth) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #89: "Bookplate Spring" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil style (Youth) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #51: "Summer" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art w...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #47: "Morning in the Spring" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil style (Youth) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Paper
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #20: "Song, Love, Music, Dance" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art w...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #44: "Music" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil style (Youth) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #75: "Hunting, Fishing, Rowing, Cycling"
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil style (Youth) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Lithograph
$6,200
Ottokar Mascha Folio: plate 11 "5th Secession Exhibition Poster" by Kolo Moser
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
after KOLOMAN MOSER (1868-1918) 5TH SECESSION EXHIBITION POSTER, 1899, (In Mascha, no. 11) A pivotal figure in early-20th century Austrian ...
Lithograph
Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #35: "Love & Wine" Lithograph
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil style (Youth) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Lithograph
Günther Förg German Artist 1995 Original Poster lithograph
By Günther Förg
Located in Miami, FL
Günther Förg (Germany, 1952-2013) 'Erker-Gallery', 1995 Original poster from exhibition of 1995 lithograph on paper 36.5 x 22.6 in. (92.7 x 57.4 cm.) Unframed Ref: FOR100-201 Günthe...
Lithograph
$372
H 13.98 in W 9.65 in D 0.08 in
Greeting - Original Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
Greeting is an original offset and lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 5 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of Der Malik...
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
$395
H 13.98 in W 9.65 in D 0.08 in
The Absolute Monarchist - Original Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
The absolute Monarchist is an original offset and lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n.35 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, editio...
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
$7,500
H 39 in W 31 in D 2 in
"Portrait de Balzac" 1952 by Pablo Picasso Large Signed Lithograph Edition of 25
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Yardley, PA
About this work: Executed in 1952, Portrait de Balzac is a wonderful example of Picasso's extraordinary ability to distill personality into the fewest possible lines. With a continuo...
Paper, Lithograph
$13,700
H 48.82 in W 36.42 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Secession Poster celebrating the emperor's jubilee
Located in Zurich, CH
Original Vintage Poster by the Austrian artist Ferdinand Ludwig Graf, a member of the Hagenbund. This Viennese artist association moved as soon a...
Paper
Unavailable|$956
H 12.75 in W 9.428 in
Marc Chagall, The Candelabrum, from The Jerusalem Windows, 1962
By Marc Chagall
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled Le Chandelier (The Candelabrum), from the album Marc Chagall, The Jerusalem Windows, originates from the 1962 edition pu...
Lithograph
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 18 in D 0.25 in
"Bread" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz
By Käthe Kollwitz
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold lithograph titled "Bread" by Kathe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945). This piece is one of the Lithographic reproductions of the original lithographs, plate 2 from a series of 10, pr...
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
BLACK FACE
By Karel Appel
Located in Santa Monica, CA
KAREL APPEL (1921 - 2006) BLACK FACE, 1969 Lithograph in colors signed in pencil. Edition 26/75, Image: 19 3/4 x 25 1/4, sheet: 22 x 30 inches. Just hint of a mat line Appel was a member of the Cobra art movement
Lithograph
$2,208
H 19.69 in W 27.56 in
Elly Nude Print, Limited Edition, Hand Signed, Vienna Secession Style
By Anastasia Aureum
Located in London, London
Any custom charges/taxes ARE INCLUDED in the final price agreed. FRAMED frame included upon request, plastic glass and frame limited edition print on paper 70x50cm hand signed ...
Paper, Color, Digital
$662Sale Price|40% Off
H 29.93 in W 21.66 in
Jean Jansem (1920-2013), Les trois masques, 1980, Lithograph on paper
By Jean Jansem
Located in Les Acacias GE, GE
Jean Jansem (1920-2013), Les trois masques, 1980, Lithographie sur papier Arches justifiée Signée en bas à droite 76 x 55 cm CR Jansem, 1984, n°451 "Dans mes dernières lithograp...
Paper, Lithograph
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 22 in D 0.25 in
"Death Takes The Children" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz
By Käthe Kollwitz
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold print of "Death Takes the Children" by Kathe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945). This piece is one of the Lithographic reproductions of the original lithographs, plate 9 from a series...
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
$395
H 13.98 in W 9.65 in D 0.08 in
From the Youth - Original Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
From the Youth is an original offset and lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 3 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of Der ...
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
Sold
H 37.57 in W 25.25 in
Fromme's Kalender Art Nouveau Lithograph Poster Koloman Moser Vienna Secession
By Koloman Moser
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Lithograph printed by Albert Berger, Vienna. This design "was considered very advanced in 1899, with its large scale portrayal of the motif and the almost complete renunciation of interior drawing. The silhouette of the body is in mysterious contrast to the realistically portrayed head and hands. The unwavering gaze of the woman underlines the symbolism of the design: the Norn [ancient Norse goddess of fate] with the hour-glass and snake-ring embodies the eternal circle of life and the running out of time" (Vienna Secession, Denscher, p. 45). As the poster was originally used in 1899, the waning sand in the hourglass quite naturally can be assumed to be the coming of the end of the century. KOLOMAN MOSER: Instead of applying his flair and art education to paintings, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil (Youth Style) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Paper, Lithograph