First Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: Opened March 26, 1898 and ran for 3 months.
Location: The group rented the k.k. Gartenbau-Gesellschaft (Imperial and Royal Horticultural Society) a large venue on Parkring in central Vienna.
Notes: The first exhibition attracted 57,000 visitors including Emperor Franz Joseph and a total of 218 works were sold. It was considered a financial success by the organizers and received positive reviews from most critics.
The exhibition was also revolutionary in its approach to exhibition forms of exhibition design, primarily the responsibility of Joseph Hoffmann and Joseph Olbrich. Contrary to the traditional salon-style arrangement of pictures of the Künstlerhaus which had painting hung vertically up to the ceiling, Olbrich and Hoffmann hung all the pictures at eye level against backgrounds of white, dark red and dark green. The first exhibition also included an additional room designed by Josef Hoffmann called the ‘Ver Sacrum room’ which introduced for the first time ‘Secession style’ to the public. The wall motifs, furniture and woodwork all deisgned by Hoffmann created a harmony between decoration and functionalism, and illustrated the Association’s concept of Gesamkunstwork (a harmony of the arts).
Second Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: November-December 1899
Location- Secession Building
Notes: An entire room was allotted for applied arts with a stained glass window and wallpaper contributions by Koloman Moser. Klimt’s Pallas Athene and Portrait of Sonja Knips exhibited.
Third Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: January 12- February 20, 1899
Location- Secession Building
Notes: Unlike previous exhibitions, each contributor was allotted his own room.
Fourth Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: March 18- May 31, 1899.
Location: Secession Building
Notes: Included in the exhibition were Klimt’s Schubert at the Piano and Nuda Veritas.
Fifth Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: September 15-January 1, 1899.
Location: Secession Building
Notes: Devoted to drawing and graphics predominantly by French artists Carriére, Ernior, Picasso, Vallotton, and Puvis de Chavannes.
Sixth Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: January 20- February 25, 1900
Location: Secession Building
Notes: Devoted entirely to Japanese Art from the collection of Adolf Fischer (1857-1914), a Cologne collector. The most poorly attended of the Secession exhibitions to date.
Seventh Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: March 8- June 6, 1900
Location: Secession Building
Notes: The exhibition attracts 35,000 visitors. Philosophy, the first of Klimt’s University Painting, is included in the exhibition until the end of March.
Eighth Exhibition
Kunstausstellung der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs.
Date: November 3- December 27, 1900
Location: Secession Building
Notes: Devoted to European applied arts with contribution from Charles Renee Mackintosh.