Secession Building, Vienna

Coordinates: 48°12′02″N 16°21′57″E / 48.200465°N 16.365746°E / 48.200465; 16.365746

Secession Building
Wiener Secessionsgebäude

Secession Building, Vienna, Austria
General information
Type Exhibition pavilion
Architectural style Art Nouveau
Location Vienna, Austria
Coordinates 48°12′1.86″N 16°21′56.43″E / 48.2005167°N 16.3656750°E / 48.2005167; 16.3656750
Construction started 1897
Completed 1898
Dimensions
Diameter 40 m × 30 m (131 ft × 98 ft)
Technical details
Floor area 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect Joseph Maria Olbrich
Other designers Koloman Moser, Gustav Klimt
Website
www.secession.at

The Secession Building (German: Wiener Secessionsgebäude) is an exhibition hall built in 1897 by Joseph Maria Olbrich as an architectural manifesto for the Vienna Secession, located in Vienna, Austria.[1] Secession refers to the seceding of a group of rebel artists from the long-established fine art institution.

Description

The building features the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt,[2] one of the most widely recognized artworks of Secession style (a branch of Art Nouveau, also known as Jugendstil). The building was financed by Karl Wittgenstein,[3] the father of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

The motto of the Secessionist movement is written above the entrance of the pavilion: "To every age its art, to every art its freedom" (German: Der Zeit ihre Kunst. Der Kunst ihre Freiheit). Below this is a sculpture of three gorgons representing painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Trivia

The building has been selected to figure on the national side of the €0.50 Austrian coin.

It also appears as the main motif of one of the Austrian gold collectors' coins: the 100 euro Secession commemorative coin, minted in November 2004, on the obverse side. The reverse depicts a detail from the Beethoven Frieze, which is housed in the building.

Gallery

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Secession Building, Vienna.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 18, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.