{"id":28303,"date":"2020-11-09T05:49:12","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T04:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=28303"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T10:15:51","slug":"wiener-moderne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-moderne\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wiener Moderne"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/viennamodernismsmall.jpg\" alt=\"Part of the Loos house\" class=\"wp-image-28306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/viennamodernismsmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/viennamodernismsmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The expression <em>Wiener Moderne<\/em> seems to appear all over the place in Vienna, particularly in museums. But what does it refer to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Short cultural era at the turn of the 19th &amp; 20th centuries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Period of astonishing creativity in art, design, architecture and other fields<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Names like Klimt, Schiele, Wagner, Hoffmann etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The practitioners and period feature regularly in exhibitions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take a 2-hour <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-walking-tours-l205287\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_WalkingTours\" rel=\"sponsored\">walking tour<\/a>* of Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/\">Art<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#design\">design exhibitions<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/jugendstil\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"31716\">Jugendstil<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-werkstatte\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28911\">The Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Viennese Modernism<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/leopoldmuseum1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/leopoldmuseum1.jpg\" alt=\"Building and Libelle viewing platform \u00a9 Leopold Museum\" class=\"wp-image-42891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/leopoldmuseum1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/leopoldmuseum1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The Leopold Museum, home to a permanent exhibition covering the Wiener Moderne; \u00a9 Leopold Museum, Vienna; photo: Ouriel Morgensztern)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cultural term <em>Wiener Moderne<\/em> covers a period between 1890 and 1910 (and often a few years either side).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you wander through Vienna&#8217;s historical and contemporary attractions, you may see the era referred to by a range of other names: <em>Vienna around 1900<\/em>, <em>Viennese modernism<\/em>, the <em>Viennese modern age<\/em>, or similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But why is this relatively short period of cultural time so important for a city with such a rich centuries-long history? Here&#8217;s a brief overview of what you need to know&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"345\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/secessionplakat.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/secessionplakat.jpg 345w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/secessionplakat-230x300.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 345px) 100vw, 345px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Poster designed by Gustav Klimt for an 1898 art exhibition; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 129001\/2; reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Vienna had various qualities that encouraged the blossoming of new ideas and creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The city stood at the centre of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/austria-hungary\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12858\">huge empire<\/a> that spanned much of central Europe: Vienna had around two million people back then (a size only reached post-empire in late 2023), all drawn from a range of cultures, nationalities, religions, and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This reserve of potential creative talent lived in a period of transition and contrast, where different philosophies and circumstances rubbed up against each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You had, for example, a longstanding monarchy and wealthy aristocracy steeped in tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/franz-joseph\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"26307\">elderly emperor<\/a> had even just presided over the construction of numerous prestigious imperial building projects in the style of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/historicism\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28926\">historicism<\/a> (celebrating previous historical styles rather than trying out anything new).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"388\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/rathausold.jpg\" alt=\"Rathaus in the late 1800s\" class=\"wp-image-45793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/rathausold.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/rathausold-300x233.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The neogothic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/rathaus-2\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"267\">Rathaus<\/a> went up just before the Wiener Moderne; photo courtesy of the Rijksmuseum)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you also had growing nationalism, working class poverty, political movements like Marxism, industrialisation, and inquiring minds looking to the future rather than the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And you had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/coffee-houses\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7689\">coffee houses<\/a>, where all those inquiring minds could meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now add greater international travel and communication to the mix, which allowed new ideas and influences to enter and disseminate faster than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such a melting pot produced an environment ripe with potential for change and innovation. One where the likes of Sigmund Freud, Arnold Schoenberg, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/gustav-mahler\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"25456\">Gustav Mahler<\/a> could blossom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider, then, the <em>Wiener Moderne<\/em> a golden age for original intellectual creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-content-type=\"product\" data-content-ids=\"1029262,976190\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_HistoryTours\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is the Wiener Moderne important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The period left its mark in all sorts of fields, from literature to philosophy and psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For visitors to Vienna, the period&#8217;s importance comes from its association with some world-famous names and works in, for example, architecture, art, and design.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/karlsplatzpavillion.jpg\" alt=\"Karlsplatz Pavilion\" class=\"wp-image-45412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/karlsplatzpavillion.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/karlsplatzpavillion-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(A station pavilion designed by Otto Wagner in 1898)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>architecture<\/strong>, you had a drift away from buildings attempting to emulate the past to Art Nouveau (in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/jugendstil\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"31716\">Jugendstil<\/a>) and then more utilitarian designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Important names here are, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/otto-wagner-in-vienna\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4917\">Otto Wagner<\/a> (1841 &#8211; 1918) and Adolf Loos (1870 &#8211; 1933), both considered major global influences on modern architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>art<\/strong>, you had groups such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/secession\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2119\">Secession<\/a> moving away from traditional approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/gustav-klimt\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2264\">Gustav Klimt<\/a> (1862 &#8211; 1918) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/egon-schiele\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3550\">Egon Schiele<\/a> (1890 &#8211; 1918) produced extraordinary works during this period (including Klimt&#8217;s world-famous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/belvedere-sites\/kiss\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1119\">The Kiss<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frontsecession.jpg\" alt=\"The front of the Secession building\" class=\"wp-image-45413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frontsecession.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frontsecession-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The Secession building and home of the same-named breakaway group of artists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>design<\/strong>, you had, for example, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-werkstatte\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28911\">Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte<\/a>, an artisan workshop considered a pioneer of modern design across numerous categories (furniture, ceramics, etc.). This was the era of such geniuses as Josef Hoffmann (1870 &#8211; 1956) and Koloman Moser (1868 &#8211; 1918).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of the individuals who flourished during the Wiener Moderne worked in other disciplines beyond those for which they became famous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otto Wagner also designed furniture, for example. Hoffman also designed houses. Schoenberg also painted. Koloman Moser did pretty much everything and anything (as far as I can tell).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where to learn more<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/MAKentrance.jpg\" alt=\"Entrance to the MAK\" class=\"wp-image-42899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/MAKentrance.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/MAKentrance-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The entrance to the MAK museum)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The works, people, and places of the Wiener Moderne pop up all over the city, but here are five useful tips for those with a special interest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/schiele-leopold\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4068\">Leopold Museum<\/a>: the <em>Vienna 1900<\/em> permanent exhibition occupies several floors and introduces you to the works of various key personalities. It also includes the world&#8217;s most prestigious Schiele collection<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/mak\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7100\">MAK Museum<\/a>: the MAK&#8217;s own <em>Vienna 1900<\/em> permanent exhibition travels a little further along the course of history and focuses on the output of artisans and designers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/wien-museum-karlsplatz\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"66174\">Wien Museum Karlsplatz<\/a>: the permanent exhibition on the social, cultural and chronological history of Vienna has a considerable Fin-de-si\u00e8cle section. Its &#8220;Beauty on the Edge of the Abyss&#8221; title feels rather apt, given the imminent arrival of WWI. Find creations by Wagner, Klimt and Schiele there, for example<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/belvedere-sites\/gustav-klimt-belvedere\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3544\">Belvedere Museum<\/a>: the permanent exhibition at Upper Belvedere features the works of some of the prominent artists of the Wiener Moderne. The museum has the world&#8217;s most important Klimt collection and, of course, the aforementioned <em>The Kiss<\/em> (probably Austria&#8217;s most valuable painting and perhaps on the global all-time Top 10)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/imperial-furniture-collection\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"910\">M\u00f6belmuseum Wien<\/a>: the Vienna Furniture Museum has a Wiener Moderne collection with various works by Loos, Hoffmann, Wagner and others on display<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As a final little bonus, the permanent exhibition of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/architekturzentrum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"42029\">Architekturzentrum <\/a>has a small section devoted to the Wiener Moderne in architecture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The expression Wiener Moderne seems to appear all over the place in Vienna, particularly in museums. But what does it refer to? Viennese Modernism (The Leopold Museum, home to a permanent exhibition covering the Wiener Moderne; \u00a9 Leopold Museum, Vienna; photo: Ouriel Morgensztern) The cultural term Wiener Moderne covers a period between 1890 and 1910 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28303"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89225,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28303\/revisions\/89225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}