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Moser, Koloman (1868-1918)
Copyright: IMAGNO/Austrian Archives
Koloman "Kolo" Moser was born on 30 March 1868 in Vienna. From 1888 to 1892 Moser studied at the Academy in Vienna and then at the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna where he would later work as teacher. From the very beginning of his career Moser showed great interest in all fields of applied art: he designed furniture, tapestries, book covers, glass and leatherwear, jewelry and even toys. As painter he created frescoes, theater sets, and stained glass paintings, among them for the famous Am Steinhof church designed by Otto Wagner, for which he also created an apse mosaic (1904). As graphic designer he invented characters, designed posters and stamps.
In 1895 Kolo Moser together with Josef Hoffmann, Josef Maria Olbrich and others founded the “Siebener Club” designed to reform art and architecture. Two years later he co-founded the Vienna Secession together with Gustav Klimt, Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner. The association grew out of a discontent with the traditional practices. The first chairman was Gustav Klimt. A contemporary of Moser once said: “Of all artists who founded the Vienna Secession, Kolo Moser was without doubt the most uninhibited and daring one. He was one of those who irritated the petty bourgeois the most." Nevertheless Moser left the movement in 1905 due to differences of opinion.
For the Jugendstil magazine "Ver Sacrum" Moser created covers and illustrations. In 1900/01 Moser’s friend Hoffmann built a villa for him on Hohe Warte. In 1903 the two artists founded the famous “Wiener Werkstätte”, an idealistic offspring of Art Nouveau which strived for integration of the fine and applied arts. The workshops eventually involved hundred of artists, including Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Oskar Kokoschka. The talents of the participants extended to everything from furniture, metal work, glass and ceramics to jewelry, books and graphic design. Kolo Moser died on 18 October 1918 in Vienna.
In 1895 Kolo Moser together with Josef Hoffmann, Josef Maria Olbrich and others founded the “Siebener Club” designed to reform art and architecture. Two years later he co-founded the Vienna Secession together with Gustav Klimt, Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner. The association grew out of a discontent with the traditional practices. The first chairman was Gustav Klimt. A contemporary of Moser once said: “Of all artists who founded the Vienna Secession, Kolo Moser was without doubt the most uninhibited and daring one. He was one of those who irritated the petty bourgeois the most." Nevertheless Moser left the movement in 1905 due to differences of opinion.
For the Jugendstil magazine "Ver Sacrum" Moser created covers and illustrations. In 1900/01 Moser’s friend Hoffmann built a villa for him on Hohe Warte. In 1903 the two artists founded the famous “Wiener Werkstätte”, an idealistic offspring of Art Nouveau which strived for integration of the fine and applied arts. The workshops eventually involved hundred of artists, including Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Oskar Kokoschka. The talents of the participants extended to everything from furniture, metal work, glass and ceramics to jewelry, books and graphic design. Kolo Moser died on 18 October 1918 in Vienna.
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