VARIOUS ARTISTS VER SACRUM. Volumes I (complete) and II (eight issues). 1898-1899. Each issue approximately 111/2x111/4 inches. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig. Condition varies, generally B+: wear along spines; one issue without its cover. Paper. Ver Sacrum (Sacred Spring) was the official organ of the Vereinigung Bildender Kunstler Oesterreichs, the group responsible for the Vienna Secession movement. It was published between 1898 and 1903, and after 1900 it became a publication for members only. The members of the group provided artwork for the magazine's covers and also took editorial responsibility. From the outset Ver Sacrum was one of the most prestigious and influential periodicals of the time. In addition to the Viennese artists Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Josef Maria Olbrich, Alfred Roller, and Sandor Rosenfeld, foreign artists such as Alphonse Mucha and Fernand Khnopff also designed covers. The articles were written by important literary figures of the day including Alfred Loos and Rainer Maria Rilke. The magazine reported on activities of the Secession Movement as well as devoted issues to major artists or special subjects, such as Japanese Art. This lot comprises of the entire first volume (twelve issues), plus the bonus issue, and eight issues from year two.
