RE: Museum für angewandte Kunst in Wien // Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna
Dear Anna,
I looked at this on my iPad before going to sleep. It's a nice time to scroll through pictures and reflect on information. At first I was a little confused about the eclectic nature of the collection. Then I reread your first paragraph:
The Museum of Decorative Arts on the Vienna Ringstrasse sees itself as an interface between contemporary art, design and architecture.
Now the scheme of the museum fell into place for me.
Some of the styles in the pictures looked familiar. I wondered why. Today it hit me: Radio City Music Hall.
When I was a child we would visit family in New York City. My mother would take us at least once a year to Radio City Music Hall. What an impression that made! I remember especially the ladies rest room. Never saw anything like it.
The building was built between 1932 and 1940. I'm including links to pictures of two rooms. I don't know much about furniture or interior design, but some of your pictures evoked these styles for me:
A Private Suite,
The Lobby,
As always, I am impressed by the amount of information you give us. The Biedermeier Era--I could never place it stylistically or temporally. Now I know :))
Thank you for the evocative photos and informative narrative.
From New York, where it was 67 degrees yesterday!!!,
Affectionately,
Your friend,
AG
Dear AG,
Thank you very much for your feedback! The MAK's collections present exhibits from the most diverse stylistic periods in a contemporary concept. It's interesting to note that some of the showrooms have been designed by artists who present the collection from their own perspective, which in some cases provides unusual insights.
A highlight of the collection are the objects of the Wiener Werkstätte , the leading design company at the turn of the century. The interior of the private suite and lobby of the radio City Music Hall is reminiscent of that time. I read that when the theatre was furnished, the rococo decoration that was common at the time was abandoned in favor of a contemporary Art Déco style that was strongly influenced by European Modernism. Art Déco has one of its roots in Viennese Art Nouveau (Wiener Jugendstil).
67 degrees, a spring day in winter! Here in Vienna we have morning frost and still not yet snow.
Affectionately,
Your friend from Austria,
Anna
Dear Anna,
Thank you for highlighting the association between Art Deco and Art Nouveau. I wasn't aware of the Viennese origins of the movement. But of course, now that you mention it, I think of Eric Kandel, and Klimt.
😄 It's funny how things are circular, connected. One leads to another.
When you mentioned Art Nouveau in relation to Radio City Music Hall, I remembered that I took a course (50 years ago!) called "Aesthetes and Decadents". This course dealt with the turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau movement, mostly in Great Britain. After finishing that course, I started to read about Cocteau, Diaghilev, and a whole universe of experimental artistic expression. All of this came together for me with your comment.
Even nascent cinema was influenced--have you ever seen "Nosferatu" (1922) with Klaus Kinski? The movie is a fascinating period piece. Look at some of the posters.
Thanks for the excursion... you led me to interesting, related tangents. Hope you don't mind.
Looking forward to your next brilliant blog. The artistic riches of Vienna seem boundless.
Here's wishing the frost in Vienna stays outdoors for you,
Love from now wintry New York,
AG
Edit: I'm wrong! Max Schreck was in the 1922 original Nosferatu . Kinski was in the 1979 remake.
Dear AG,
Thanks a lot for the sparks that invite me on a little trip into the world of art.
The course at Radio City Music Hall must have been very inspiring for you. I haven't really dealt with experimental art much yet, but I should change that. Last night I read a bit about Jean Cocteau. An interesting personality! Speaking of Kendel, I'm still working on his book 'The Age of Insight'. Unfortunately, I'm making very slow progress, as I don't have the time to delve into this fascinating topic at the moment.
I saw the film "Nosferatu" years ago with Klaus Kinski in the cast. Kinski, a man between genius and madness, was one of the few German world stars in cinema. He also made "Fitzcarraldo" with the director of the film, Werner Herzog. Maybe you know the film, too.
With much affection,
Anna
Dear Anna,
Thank you for the tip about "Fitzcarraldo". I'm very much into experimental film. I found the movie on the Internet and saw the first few scenes. Fascinating. I'm familiar with Kinski...I think I suspected he was mad, and brilliant :) Another German-language actor who crossed the Atlantic with great success and worked in both art and mainstream films was Maximilian Schell. He was wonderful in everything he did. (But I don't think he was mad😄)
I wasn't clear about the course I took...it was at NYU. The wonder of your comment is that the connection you made between Radio City Music Hall architecture and art nouveau brought it all together for me. The Aesthetes and Decadents course was the first time I thought analytically about the purpose of art (literature, music, etc. ) My days at NYU opened a universe of intellectual exploration for me and this course was a stepping stone.
Tonight when I'm resting in bed before sleep (sometimes for hours!) there'll be a treat on my iPad: "Fitzcarraldo". Thank you!
Have a most wonderful week (whatever is left of it).
With Affection and Respect,
Your friend from bitterly cold New York,
AG
Dear AG,
I hope you had 2 1/2 exciting and inspiring hours last night. 😵 I can imagine that "Fitzcarraldo" impressed you as much as it does me when I saw the film a few years ago. What an adventure and enormous strain the filming must have been for the crew and everyone involved!
You're right, Maximilian Schell was also one of those few German-speaking actors who made it across the Atlantic. At the latest after he won the Oscar for "Judgment at Nuremberg" (Das Urteil). Here in Europe he was also well known as "Jedermann" at the Salzburg Festival.
With your course at NYU you already made the step into the multifaceted universe of art a few years ago. I'm just getting started ... The dialogue with you is a great source of inspiration for me. Thanks for that!
Here in Vienna it's become cold, too. Tomorrow it's even said to snow. We'll see ...
Have a wonderful, in every respect fulfilled weekend!
With affection and gratitude,
Your friend from across the sea, Anna
🎨🌸🎬