Secession Building

Secession building
Wiener Secessionsgebäude
Secession Building (Vienna, Austria)
General information
Type	Exhibition pavilion
Architectural style	Art Nouveau
Location	Vienna, Austria
Coordinates	48°12′1.86″N 16°21′56.43″E
Construction started	1897
Completed	1898
Dimensions
Diameter	40 m × 30 m (131 ft × 98 ft)
Technical details
Floor area	1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Joseph Maria Olbrich
Other designers	Koloman Moser, Gustav Klimt

The Secession building (German: Wiener Secessionsgebäude) is an exhibition hall built in 1897 by Joseph Maria Olbrich as an architectural manifesto for the Vienna Secession, located in Vienna, Austria. Secession refers to the seceding of a group of rebel artists from the long-established fine art institution.

Description

The building features the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt, one of the most widely recognized artworks of Secession style (a branch of Art Nouveau, also known as Jugendstil). The building was financed by Karl Wittgenstein, the father of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

The motto of the Secessionist movement is written above the entrance of the pavilion: "To every age its art, to art its freedom" (German: Der Zeit ihre Kunst. Der Kunst ihre Freiheit). Below this is a sculpture of three gorgons representing painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Trivia

The building was selected as the main motif of one of the Austrian gold collectors' coins: the 100 euro Secession commemorative coin, minted in 10 November 2004. On the obverse side there is a view of the hall.

The building also appears (from a different perspective) on the regular €0.50 Austrian coin.

• 
  Jugendstil owls - Detail of the facade of the Viennese Secession Building. These designs for building’s facade decoration are attributed to Koloman Moser.
• 
  The Beethoven Frieze, created by Gustav Klimt, is housed in the lower floor.
• 
  Painting, Architecture, and Sculpture
• 
  The Secession commemorative coin