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Fight of the Titans (Kampf der Titanen)

Fight of the Titans (Kampf der Titanen)

Koloman Moser

Fight of the Titans (Kampf der Titanen), a vibrant and emotionally charged painting, envisions Greek mythology's Battle of the Titans, the ten-year struggle in which the Olypian gods defeated the Titans. Artist Koloman Moser focused on the human body in action. The nude male figures are shown in various stages of continuous movement, highlighting their strength and determination of the players in this mythic struggle. Painted during World War I, this work alludes to well-known battle scenes by Italian Renaissance artists and to the ravages in contemporary Europe. Moser, a founder of the Wiener Werkstatte, was known primarily as a designer but turned to painting late in his career.
Artist
Koloman Moser
(Austrian, 1868 - 1918)
Title
Fight of the Titans (Kampf der Titanen)
Date
1913-1916
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
29 3/4 x 59 1/4 in. overall
Credit
Bequest of Barbara Mackey Kaerwer
Accession No.
2017.14.45
Classification
Paintings
Geography
Austria

Related

1918, Estate of Koloman Moser [Editha Hauska, Karl Moser, Dietrich Moser] (Vienna, Austria). By November 1920 with Kunstverlag Wolfrum (Vienna, Austria). By October 1969, with Kunsthandlung Inge Asenbaum (Vienna, Austria). April 1971, sold by Kunsthandlung Inge Asenbaum (Vienna, Austria) to Barbara Mackey Kaerwer (Eden Prairie, MN); 2016, bequeathed to the Chazen Museum of Art

  • Skrypzak, Joann. "Design Vienna 1890s to 1930s," Madison: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 2003. pp. 33, 52-53, no. 3; pl. 1
  • Chazen Museum of Art. "Artscene." September-December 2011.
  • Royal Academy of Arts. "Vienna Secession: Art Nouveau to 1970." exh. cat. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1971. p. 22, no. 214
  • Asenbaum, Inge. "Jugendstil, 20er Jahre: Verkaufs-Ausstellung." Vienna: Kunstlerhaus-Galerie, 1969. cat. no. 145, Ill.
  • Pichler, Gerd. "Koloman Moser: Die Gemälde Werkverzeichnis." Wien: W & K Edition, 2012. 153, Kat. Nr. 161, mit Abb.
  • Kunstverlag Wolfrum, Vienna. "Kolo Moser-Nachlass-Ausstellung." [exh. cat.] Wien: Kunstverlag Wolfrum, 1920. 5, cat. no. 168
  • Belvedere Research Center. "Werkverzeichnisse Online: Kolomon Moser." Accessed June 24, 2021. https://werkverzeichnisse.belvedere.at/objects/28999/kampf-der-titanen-i?.

  • Vienna Sucession: Art Nouveau to 1970: Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1/9/1971–3/7/1971
  • Jugendstil, 20er Jahre. Verkaufs-Ausstellung: Künstlerhaus, Vienna, 10/29/1969–11/20/1969
  • Kolo Moser-Nachlass-Ausstellung: Kunstverlag Wolfrum, Vienna, 11/23/1920–12/15/1920

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