Munich Secession

also: Münchener Secession

movement 1892-1938 and 1946-present Bavaria Germany

In 1892, ninety-six artists resigned from the conservative Munich Artists' Association and founded the Munich Secession (German: Münchener Secession), a cooperative dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art on its own terms. Munich was then Germany's art capital, but its exhibitions were dominated by the "Prince of Painters" Franz von Lenbach and by state-backed history painting; the seceding artists answered with a declaration that every direction of art, old or new, should find a place in their shows. The Secession staged ambitious international exhibitions and ran its own annual displays, uniting impressionist plein-air painting with symbolism and genre realism. Rivalries kept it restless: dissatisfied members formed the Phalanx group in 1901, and the New Munich Secession followed in 1913. Active until 1938, the association was re-established in 1946 and continues to exhibit today.

Poster of the 7th International Art Exhibition in Munich, Germany, in summer 1898
Poster of the 7th International Art Exhibition in Munich, Germany, in summer 1898Public domain (credit: Franz von Stuck (1863-1928)) · source

Defining characteristics

  • Luminous plein-air colour: bright, broken brushwork in landscapes and animal subjects
  • Symbolist mythological figures in dark, dramatically lit settings
  • Breadth over doctrine: realist, impressionist and symbolist pictures hung side by side
  • Elegant, psychologically alert portraiture and genre scenes
  • Bold exhibition graphics, above all Franz von Stuck's poster designs
  • A polished modern finish that softened academic training with contemporary light

Key figures

  • Bruno Piglhein (1848-1894) — Sculptor and painter; founder and first president of the Secession (1892)
  • Franz von Stuck (1863-1928) — Leading figure of the Secession; designed its 1897 international exhibition poster
  • Fritz von Uhde (1848-1911) — Genre and religious painter who brought impressionist plein-air light to the group
  • Heinrich von Zügel (1850-1941) — Painter of farm and domestic animals, among the Secession's founding major figures

Example works

  • The Sin — Franz von Stuck (1893)
  • Arrival of the Organ-Grinder — Fritz von Uhde (1883)
  • Poster for the Seventh International Art Exhibition, Munich — Franz von Stuck (1897)

Sources

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