![]() ![]() Right next to the Majolica House stands Otto Wagner’s other apartment building that was constructed in 1898: The Medallion House. The Medallion House: A Fusion Of Classicism And Vienna Secession Medallion House by Otto Wagner, 1898, Vienna, photographed by the author Loos – who also wrote “ornament and crime” – called the creation of new ornamentation “a sign of degeneration,” alluding to Wagner’s architecture. The Austrian architect Adolf Loos severely criticized Wagner’s use of ornamentation. Heavily discussed at the time, the decorated facade of the Majolica House became an infamous attraction. The multicolored appearance of the building’s front caused critical as well as praising reactions. By utilizing such playful and floral motifs, Ludwig created a distinctive reference to Art Nouveau. The flamboyant design of the tiles was made by the artist Alois Ludwig, who was a scholar of Otto Wagner. While the general architecture of the building was nothing new, the polychrome facade made the construction stand out radically. Because of the special quality of the tiles, dust, smut, and dirt generated by the city pose no problem.ĭetail of the Majolica House by Otto Wagner, 1898, Vienna, photographed by the author Hence, the tiles are made to be weatherproof and easy to clean. The architect Otto Wagner always attached great value to the hygienic component of constructions. The expression Majolica House stems from the colorful and glazed ceramic – called maiolica – that was used for the tiles covering the facade. Located in the inner-city of Vienna, the apartment building displays an exceptional exterior which also provoked the construction’s name. Wagner initially intended to build a magnificent boulevard that ran alongside the Wien River, but those plans were never put into practice. The Majolica House was built in the year 1898 by the architect Otto Wagner. ![]() Other features are the Medusa-like faces above the door with dangling serpents instead of earlobes, minimalist stone owls gazing down from the walls and vast ceramic pots supported by tortoises at the front.The Majolica House: A Floral Facade In Vienna Secession Style Majolica House by Otto Wagner, 1898, Vienna, photographed by the author Its most striking feature is the delicate golden dome rising from a turret on the roof that deserves better than the description ‘golden cabbage’ accorded it by some Viennese. ![]() The building is certainly a move away from the Ringstrasse architectural throwbacks. It served as a hospital during WWI and was torched by the retreating Germans during WWII (the gold dome survived the fire). The small room you enter before viewing Klimt's work tells the story of the building. Multilingual brochures explain the various graphic elements, which are based on Richard Wagner’s interpretation of Beethoven’s ninth symphony. Since 1983 the frieze has been on display in the basement. It was intended as a temporary display, little more than an elaborate poster for the main exhibit, Max Klinger’s Beethoven monument. ![]() The 14th exhibition (1902) held in the building featured the 34m-long Beethoven Frieze. One-hour guided tours in English (€3) take place at 11am Saturday. Its biggest draw is Klimt's exquisitely gilded Beethoven Frieze. Olbrich designed the new exhibition centre of the Secessionists, which combined sparse functionality with stylistic motifs. Among their number were Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann, Kolo Moser and Joseph Olbrich. In 1897, 19 progressive artists swam away from the mainstream Künstlerhaus artistic establishment to form the Wiener Secession (Vienna Secession). ![]()
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