September 13, 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schönberg’s birth. To commemorate this anniversary, the Arnold Schönberg Center, in cooperation with the Capital of Culture Bad Ischl – Salzkammergut 2024, is presenting an extensive exhibition with items from Schönberg’s estate as well as international collections.
Like many of his contemporaries, Arnold Schönberg sought out summer retreats far from urban distractions in order to give free rein to his creativity during extended stays in the countryside. Between 1905 and 1923, the composer spent six summers at Lake Traun. While there, he created chamber music, songs, piano pieces, paintings, and drawings. The first twelve-tone composition in the history of music was written in Traunkirchen in July 1921.
The exhibition traces Schönberg’s creative years at Lake Traun, sketches a panorama of encounters with important modernist artists, and, beyond the idyllic setting, explores the anti-Semitism in the summer resorts of the Salzkammergut during the early 1920s.
For reasons of preservation, the items on display are facsimiles.
Exhibition site: Villa Toscana, Gmunden
Curator: Therese Muxeneder
Graphics, audio, and video: Christoph Edtmayr
