Joseph Maria Olbrich Music Cabinet (approx. 1905)

Viennese Art Nouveau / Viennese Secession style: At the turn of the century, an association of young artists with a new understanding of art was organized in Austria. This led to the formation of the "Vienna Secession" association in 1897, including architects, artists and designers such as Otto Wagner, Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann. Influenced by the ideas of Art Nouveau, the artists brought about an avant-garde upheaval in the fields of fine art, architecture and design. Characteristic of the so-called "Secession style" were the flowing forms and lines familiar from Art Nouveau as well as floral motifs. However, geometric and abstract patterns and decorations also ensured a modern design for furniture, textiles and rooms. The Secession style continued with the founding of the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903.