Carl Moll
(Vienna 1861–1945)
„Grinzing” (View from the studio of Gustav Mahler in the Villa of Carl Moll on the Hohe Warte), 1936, monogrammed CM; signed with the address on the stretcher “Moll, Wollergasse 10”, oil on canvas, 48 x 56 cm, framed
Provenance:
Bruno Walter, Vienna (1876–1962), Vienna/Los Angeles
Lotte Lindt-Walter (1910–1970), Sölden, Germany (by descent from the above until 1970)
Bruno Walter Estate, USA, until 1972
Private Collection, Germany
Exhibition:
Vienna, CXLI. Ausstellung der Vereinigung bildender Künstler, Secession, 26 May – 31 July 1936, cat. no. 62 (there titled)
Literature:
Wiener Bilder, 41, no. 18, 3 May 1936, p. 10, ill.
We are grateful to Cornelia Cabuk for confirming the authenticity of the original and for her help in cataloguing this work.
The view from a luminous studio space, characterized by its glass roof and wide-open casement windows, looks out towards the tower of St. Michael’s church in Heiligenstadt and the vineyards of Grinzing. A side table laden with painting materials and a table adorned with fresh flowers indicate the precise positioning of Carl Moll’s easel. Positioned on a high plinth to the right of this light-flooded interior is the bronze bust of Gustav Mahler.
Moll and a circle of the composer’s close friends had commissioned the sculpture from Auguste Rodin. Brokered by Sophie Clemenceau-Szeps – the Paris-based sister of Berta Zuckerkandl and Paul Clemenceau – Rodin’s sculpture was realized following portrait sittings in April 1909. Moll subsequently received a cast directly from Rodin in 1910.
Following his resignation as Director of the Vienna Court Opera in 1907 to undertake his engagement at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Gustav Mahler frequently sought refuge at the villa Moll II (located at Wollergasse 10 on the Hohe Warte) during his return visits to the city. Moll’s sophisticated social circle facilitated a deeper connection between Mahler and the conductor Bruno Walter, notably during a dinner on 5 September 1908, which was also attended by Alfred Roller and Arnold Rosé. The space – referred to by Moll in 1936 as ‘Gustav Mahler’s Studio’ – stands as a testament to the profound esteem held for the composer, who died in Vienna in 1911 and was the husband of Moll’s stepdaughter, Alma Mahler (née Schindler).
In celebration of Moll’s 75th birthday, the Vienna Secession dedicated sections of its 1936 Spring Exhibition to individual collections by Moll and Anton Kolig, an artist whom Moll actively championed. The exhibition showcased Moll as a master of modern colourism, featuring motifs from the Provence, the Ligurian coast, and Grinzing. The title „Grinzing”, chosen for this interior view, underscores Mahler’s deep affinity for the Hohe Warte and the surrounding districts of Heiligenstadt and Grinzing – localities that similarly defined a substantial portion of Moll’s own artistic œuvre.
Cornelia Cabuk
Specialist: Dr. Marianne Hussl-Hörmann
(Vienna 1861–1945)
„Grinzing” (View from the studio of Gustav Mahler in the Villa of Carl Moll on the Hohe Warte), 1936, monogrammed CM; signed with the address on the stretcher “Moll, Wollergasse 10”, oil on canvas, 48 x 56 cm, framed
Provenance:
Bruno Walter, Vienna (1876–1962), Vienna/Los Angeles
Lotte Lindt-Walter (1910–1970), Sölden, Germany (by descent from the above until 1970)
Bruno Walter Estate, USA, until 1972
Private Collection, Germany
Exhibition:
Vienna, CXLI. Ausstellung der Vereinigung bildender Künstler, Secession, 26 May – 31 July 1936, cat. no. 62 (there titled)
Literature:
Wiener Bilder, 41, no. 18, 3 May 1936, p. 10, ill.
We are grateful to Cornelia Cabuk for confirming the authenticity of the original and for her help in cataloguing this work.
The view from a luminous studio space, characterized by its glass roof and wide-open casement windows, looks out towards the tower of St. Michael’s church in Heiligenstadt and the vineyards of Grinzing. A side table laden with painting materials and a table adorned with fresh flowers indicate the precise positioning of Carl Moll’s easel. Positioned on a high plinth to the right of this light-flooded interior is the bronze bust of Gustav Mahler.
Moll and a circle of the composer’s close friends had commissioned the sculpture from Auguste Rodin. Brokered by Sophie Clemenceau-Szeps – the Paris-based sister of Berta Zuckerkandl and Paul Clemenceau – Rodin’s sculpture was realized following portrait sittings in April 1909. Moll subsequently received a cast directly from Rodin in 1910.
Following his resignation as Director of the Vienna Court Opera in 1907 to undertake his engagement at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Gustav Mahler frequently sought refuge at the villa Moll II (located at Wollergasse 10 on the Hohe Warte) during his return visits to the city. Moll’s sophisticated social circle facilitated a deeper connection between Mahler and the conductor Bruno Walter, notably during a dinner on 5 September 1908, which was also attended by Alfred Roller and Arnold Rosé. The space – referred to by Moll in 1936 as ‘Gustav Mahler’s Studio’ – stands as a testament to the profound esteem held for the composer, who died in Vienna in 1911 and was the husband of Moll’s stepdaughter, Alma Mahler (née Schindler).
In celebration of Moll’s 75th birthday, the Vienna Secession dedicated sections of its 1936 Spring Exhibition to individual collections by Moll and Anton Kolig, an artist whom Moll actively championed. The exhibition showcased Moll as a master of modern colourism, featuring motifs from the Provence, the Ligurian coast, and Grinzing. The title „Grinzing”, chosen for this interior view, underscores Mahler’s deep affinity for the Hohe Warte and the surrounding districts of Heiligenstadt and Grinzing – localities that similarly defined a substantial portion of Moll’s own artistic œuvre.
Cornelia Cabuk
Specialist: Dr. Marianne Hussl-Hörmann
