Koloman Moser, Poster for „Frommes Kalender” 1899
Serge Sabarsky Collection, New York
It is always a pleasure to visit the Museum of Fine Arts with a talk and tour by Dr. Helga Aurisch, Curator of European Art. Over the years she has delighted and enlightened us with her insightful, humorous lectures about the exhibits at the museum.
On Thursday, October 17, 2013, we have the unique opportunity to hear Dr. Aurisch and her colleague at the museum Dr. Cindi Strauss, Curator for Modern and Contemporary Decorative Arts and Design, who is responsible for the latest show Koloman Moser: Designing Modern Vienna 1897-1907. It was organized by the Neue Galerie, New York, renowned for its exquisite collections and exhibitions of German and Austrian art, and Houston is its only other venue.
Vienna around 1900 was a magical place where the conservative, somewhat decadent glamour of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was shaken up by a group of rebellious artists determined to change not just art, but many aspects of life, through modern design.
Together with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser played a leading role in the two institutions that would revolutionize art and design, the Vienna Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops). This is the first exhibition in America dedicated solely to his works, encompassing furniture, graphic design, jewelry, metalwork, textiles, designs for architectural interiors, and ceramics. Thanks to their understated elegance and exquisite workmanship Moser’s works have remained astonishingly modern and are indeed timeless.
Please come to the Jamail Meeting Room, Mezzanine Level, Audrey Jones Beck Building, 5601 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005. The registration begins at 6:15 p.m, the reception at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting, lecture, and tour at 7:00 p.m. The meeting fee is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers, and $5 for students, regardless of whether you participate in the reception.
Parking is available in the museum’s garage on Binz between Fannin and San Jacinto – there is a big yellow arrow to direct you. We must give a count to the caterers earlier than usual, so please RSVP as soon as possible, latest Monday evening, to angelika@houstonleipzig.org.