On the occasion of the 130th birthday of Franz von Zülow, an artist shaped by a fashionable inclination toward rural life and the reflection of rural heritage, works on paper from the MAK collection and the artist´s estate will be exhibited. Von Zülow did his training at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna, where he already created illustrations and designs for the Wiener Werkstätte. Active in many areas, Zülow designed textile patterns, carpets, ceramics, and interiors and developed new graphic techniques. His most important achievements in this area are the monthly pen-in-ink-drawn notebooks produced in a paper-cut stencil printing process from 1909 to 1915, subscribed to by artists such as Hoffmann, Klimt, and Schiele. Clearly evident in these works is his decorative, Jugendstil- derived surface art, which he combined with folk art inspirations. Arising at the same time were stage-like watercolors and scenic picture books along the lines of a diorama in expressive style.
Curator Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel, Head of Library and Works on Paper Collection
As part of the bookseries MAK Studies, a catalogue will be published in conjunction with the exhibition.