JOSEPH MARIA OLBRICH (1867-1908) DARMSTADT. 1901. 32 1/2x19 3/4 inches, 82 1/2x50 cm. H. Hohmann, Darmstadt. Condition B+: tears, repaired tears and restored losses at edges, some affecting image; creases, abrasions and pencil notations in margins and image; horizontal fold; tape on verso. Paper. Olbrich was an architect and graphic designer. In 1897, he was a founding member of the Viennese Secession movement, for which he designed the signature exhibition hall and two posters for the group's second and third shows. In 1899, he and Peter Behrens were called upon by the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig von Hesse to embark upon a project intended to revolutionize the German art world. They were charged with building and running an artistic colony in the city of Darmstadt. Olbrich designed the main structure with a huge central studio that was opened to the artistic community in 1901. For the group's first exhibition, he designed this poster, which proudly features his building in the center. Stylistically, the poster is quite similar to the one Olbrich designed for the Vienna Secession in 1898, in which his building also appeared prominently in the center of the image. Here he uses a wider perspective to show the monumental scale of the building. The decorative ornaments such as the paving stones, the stylized shrubbery and the typography are all masterpieces of Secessionist style and design. The piece is both extremely rare and historically important. Secession no. 11, DFP-II 2431, Wember 630.
