Secession XIV, Beethoven by Alfred Roller - 1902 - 203.8 × 80.3 cm Leopold Museum Secession XIV, Beethoven by Alfred Roller - 1902 - 203.8 × 80.3 cm Leopold Museum

Secession XIV, Beethoven

Lithography • 203.8 × 80.3 cm
  • Alfred Roller - 2 October 1864 - 21 June 1935 Alfred Roller 1902

Alfred Roller, a graphic designer, was a member of the Vienna Secession (an art movement closely related to Art Nouveau), which was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian painters, graphic artists, sculptors, and architects, including Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Otto Wagner, and Gustav Klimt. The Secession held a series of exhibitions, including one honoring composer Ludwig van Beethoven, for which Roller made this poster. Under the direction of architect and designer Josef Hoffmann, 21 artists collaborated on the installation, which was one of the Secession’s greatest public successes, drawing nearly 60,000 visitors. The bold, condensed lettering in Roller’s design is also a feature of other posters and journal covers he designed around this time. 

This poster is featured in our Undated Vienna Secession Planner, along with other amazing masterpieces by Gustav Klimt and the gang; check it out in our DailyArt Shop.  :)

P.S. If you like poster art, you're going to love these fabulous 19th-century party posters! They will make you feel like dancing!