A Closer Look: The Secession Building

The Secession Building, designed by Josef Maria Olbrich in 1898, was designed to represent the ideas of the Secessionist movement. It was to be a refuge for the modern man, who, feeling the pressures of modern life, could come and see art. The motto of the Secession, "To the age its art, to art its freedom"is engraved above the door. Inside, the building is a shrine of art. Intentionally made to feel "holy", all the walls are white to represent purity and dignity. Art is displayed, and the walls are movable so that the exhibits can change. The changeable nature of the interior, Olbrich explained, was symbolic of the unpredictable requirements for the display of modern art, and the hustle and bustle of modern life. The building is capped by a bronze leaf cupola (referred to by locals as the "cabbage head").