Catalogue of the Opening Exhibition of the Hagenbund, 1902

The Hagenbund had been established as a club within the Künstlerhaus as early as February 1900, but it was not until November that the association seceded and became independent. The formal secession followed Joseph Urban’s (1872–1933) decision to leave the Künstlerhaus after intense disputes. The Hagenbund became the third major artists’ association on the Viennese scene, joining the rivaling organizations of the Secession and the Künstlerhaus. Thus, the visual design of its public appearance was a matter of great importance. When the Opening Exhibition of the Hagenbund was held at the Zedlitzhalle in January 1902, it was Urban’s design that decorated the association’s first catalogue. It reflects the Hagenbund’s initial objective of representing a temperate Modernism: Urban contrasted the text block framed in orange with undulating lines in the complementary color green and focused on the symmetry of the softly curving floral ornaments.

LVD, 2024