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Lot Essay
This iconic work holds a unique place in the history of art. As the first President in 1897 of the radical group of artists and artisans comprising the Vienna Secession, Gustav Klimt's poster for the first Secessionist exhibition in Vienna in 1898 reflects the movement's ideology in both form and content.
In the upper third of the frame, the poster depicts Ovid's Classical myth of the combat of Theseus and the Minotaur told in his Metamorphoses which relates the victory of the god of war over the monstrous creature. Here, it represents the Secessionists' battle with the traditional Academy and the Society of the House of Artists. With Theseus' triumph, we are to read a sense of the Secessionists' optimism at their struggle against the artistic institutions and their prescriptive views.
Pallas Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and war, frames the length of the work and faces the central void of the poster. The linear forms are elaborate and explicitly sensual and exemplify Klimt's intrest in Classical Greek and Byzantine styles. The break from traditional typography is seen here in Klimt's innovative text - decorative yet functional, type sizes vary to highlight key words to relate the message clearly.
This poster was printed in two sizes and this is the smaller version. It also exists with a greenish background. This example is the second printing (where the image underneath the trees is no longer visible). No other copies of this exact printing are known to exist.
In the upper third of the frame, the poster depicts Ovid's Classical myth of the combat of Theseus and the Minotaur told in his Metamorphoses which relates the victory of the god of war over the monstrous creature. Here, it represents the Secessionists' battle with the traditional Academy and the Society of the House of Artists. With Theseus' triumph, we are to read a sense of the Secessionists' optimism at their struggle against the artistic institutions and their prescriptive views.
Pallas Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and war, frames the length of the work and faces the central void of the poster. The linear forms are elaborate and explicitly sensual and exemplify Klimt's intrest in Classical Greek and Byzantine styles. The break from traditional typography is seen here in Klimt's innovative text - decorative yet functional, type sizes vary to highlight key words to relate the message clearly.
This poster was printed in two sizes and this is the smaller version. It also exists with a greenish background. This example is the second printing (where the image underneath the trees is no longer visible). No other copies of this exact printing are known to exist.