Artwork
FIBRE
FIBRE is an unspecified painting by Dagobert Peche. It dates from 1922 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1922 by Austrian artist and metalworker Dagobert Peche, *FIBRE* is a small painted composition now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work belongs to the Vienna Secession period, reflecting the artist’s engagement with the movement’s modernist ideals.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a stylised flower rendered through abstracted lines and shapes. The motif, reduced to essential forms, suggests a decorative exploration of nature rather than a literal representation, aligning with the Secessionist interest in merging art and design.
Technique & Style
*FIBRE* consists of three narrow, rectangular panels arranged vertically on an off‑white backing with a serrated edge. Each panel features a distinct colour field—yellow, light blue, and pink—overlaid with wavy lines, geometric motifs and floral hints in contrasting hues, creating a restrained yet dynamic visual rhythm.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view. Peche’s career was brief; he died in 1923 at the age of thirty‑six, making *FIBRE* one of his final contributions to the Secessionist oeuvre.
Context
The painting emerges from the Vienna Secession’s broader effort to dissolve boundaries between fine art and applied design. Peche, known primarily for metalwork and decorative objects, applied the same emphasis on pattern and materiality to his painted works, illustrating the interdisciplinary spirit of the movement.
Artist & collection
Artist
Dagobert Peche (3 April 1887, Sankt Michael/Lungau, Duchy of Salzburg – 16 April 1923, Modling) was an Austrian artist and metalworker designer.
