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ONLINECOLLECTION

Poster for the exhibition 1908 Kunstschau, 1908

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Color lithograph on paper (2 parts)
136.5×63.5 cm

Artists

  • Rudolf Kalvach

    (Vienna 1883–1932 Kosmonosy)

  • Lithograph and print Albert Berger, Vienna
Unfortunately not on display at the moment
An undisputed highlight in Rudolf Kalvach’s (1883–1932) artistic career was the poster he designed for the 1908 Kunstschau – the most ground-breaking event in Vienna’s art scene at the beginning of the 20th century. Showing a kneeling female figure in front of a wooded landscape, the artist’s design is dominated by reduced forms, angled lines and planar depictions. While Kalvach’s design vocabulary can be incorporated seamlessly into the stylistic tradition of Viennese poster art, to which the Kunstschau dedicated an entire room designed by Bertold Löffler (1874–1960), it does show traits that herald a new way of artistic thinking. As with his fellow student Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980) and his work The Cotton Picker, Kalvach’s poster design marked a turning point in his oeuvre and attracted a lot of attention. Along with this work, two further creations by Kalvach were presented to the visitors of the Kunstschau.

Object data

Artist/author
  • Design: Rudolf Kalvach
  • Execution: Lithograph and print Albert Berger, Vienna
Title
Poster for the exhibition 1908 Kunstschau
Date
1908
Art movement
Art Nouveau, Expressionism
Category
Graphic work
Material​/technique
Color lithograph on paper (2 parts)
Dimensions
136.5×63.5 cm
Signature
Monogrammed in the depiction, signed in the stone lower right: Rudolf Kalvach; designated lower left: Lithograph and print A. Berger Vienna
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 3000
Inventory access
Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994
Selection of Reference works
  • Fantastisch! Rudolf Kalvach. Wien und Triest um 1900, hrsg. von Tobias G. Natter/Roberto Festi, Cinisello Balsamo 2012 (Ausst. Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien, 07.06.2012–10.09.2012).
Catalogue raisonne
  • Natter/Festi 2012: 5.14.1
Keywords

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (o.D.);
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (1994)

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