TIMELINE(1)
1884: Born July 2, in Budapest, son of Moritz Hirsch and Theresa (Nee Jonas).
1886-87: Family moves to Vienna. Harta attends Grade school and High School.
1901: Studies Architecture for nine semesters at a Technical High School.
1905: In Spring, Harta attends the art school at “Dachau, Germany, where he studies with Prof. Hans
von Hayek. In September takes the entrance exam for the Academy in Munich (Germany) where
he studies painting with Prof. Hugo von Haberman. He begins his long friendship with the
painters, Hans Eder, and Julius W. Schülein.
1908: Short visit to Vienna, and first exhibit in March at the Künstlerhaus, “A Portrait of a Gentleman”.
Then he travels to Paris with the painter, J.W. Schülein whom he met at the Academy. Studies at
the Academy Vitty, and copies Titian and Tintoretto in the Louvre. Copies Ingres and Manet in
the Musee Luxembourg. Goes on a summer trip to Bretagne. In the Fall, returns to Paris where he
exhibits at the Salon D’Automune. He is occupied with French Impressionists like Cezanne and
Van Gogh.
1909: In Spring he travels to Spain visiting Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, and Fuentarabbia. That autumn,
returns to Vienna where he meets and initiates friendships with Oskar Kokoschka, Anton
Faistauer, Egon Schiele, Franz Wiegele, Anton Kolig, and others.(2)
1910: Embarks on study trips to Belgium, where he spends time in Brussels, Gent, and Bruges.
1911: Meets his future wife, Elisabeth (Elly) Hermann in Vienna. Harta exhibits at the 38th Exhibition
of the Vienna Secession. Also, he and Elly assist Gustav Klimt in renting the garden pavilion on
Feldmühlgase 11 owned by Harta’s in-laws, the Hermanns.
1912: Goes to Italy; visits Porto Maurizio; exhibits at the Vienna Secession, and arranges exhibitions of
Austrian art in Germany, France, and Italy.
1913: Second trip to Paris with the painter, Paris von Gütersloh. Meets with Rodin, Rilke, and meets the
Futurist painters: Boccioni, Marinetti, and Paul Fort. Georg Kars arranges visits with Utrillo and
Suzanne Valadon. He returns to Vienna in the fall where he arranges the International Black and
White Exhibition with works from Europe and America.
1914: He marries Elisabeth Hermann, and at the end of December, they have a daughter, Eva Maria.
1915: Harta enters the military as a volunteer; becomes a war painter in the K.U.K. Warpressquarter
with the rank of Captain.
1916: Exhibits at the Vienna Art Show (the Kunstschau) in the Berlin Secession.
1915-17: In August of 1917, he informs the Army he is moving to Salzburg. Participates in Exhibitions in a
War Exhibit, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Berlin Secession, and Nurnberg.
1918: In March exhibits at the 49th Vienna Secession. Included in the Schiele poster, “Tafelrunde”.
1918: Exhibits at the 33rd Exhibition of the Artist Association of Salzburg. First purchase by Belvedere
“Church in Melk” (resides today at the Albertina).
1918: Moves to Salzburg and becomes acquainted with Hermann Bahr, Stefan Zweig, Bernhard
Paumgartner, Oskar H. Schmitz, Hugo Von Hoffmannstahl, and many others. Exhibits at the
bookstore “Hollriegl"(3). Harta and Faistauer start the Artistic Association, “Wassermann”. Harta
becomes President. Paumgartner joins the Wassermann with the “Collegium Musicum; Stefan
Zweig joins with the Literary Club. They want to bring modern art to Salzburg. Other members
are Kubin, the Vienna Moderns, and artists from Munich and Berlin such as Karl Caspar,
Max Unold, and Rudolf Grossman.
1919: First Wassermann (Aquarius) Exhibition in Salzburg. Harta receives the “Large Silver Medal of
the Salzburger Art Organization”. Harta starts the Neue Gallery in the Department Store
Schwarz. He also is building a house in Morzg. Exhibits in Linz, with the Sonderbund in Vienna,
“The New Eye”.
1920: Second Wassermann Exhibition (Impressionism). He restores parts of the Frescoes on the Horse
Fountain on the Sigmundplatz in Salzburg. Harta’s son, Kladius(Claude) is born. Exhibition at
the Kunstschau in Vienna. Harta and Faistauer plan to develop a painting academy in Salzburg
that fails in 1921 due to lack of financial support.
1921: Third Wassermann Exhibition (Interntional Black & White) at the Artist’s House (Künstlerhaus)
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1922: Harta receives the large Silver Medal of the State of Austria.
1923: Harta and Faistauer open the Residenzgalerie in Salzburg. They also arrange a monument for
the painter Hans Makart at this birthplace.
1923-25: Harta moves his family back to Vienna. Becomes a member of the Hagenbund, first as
Secretary; then as Vice President from 1932-33. From 1923 to 1935, serves on various hanging
committees.
1925: Exhibits at the Bi-Annual Rome Exhibition. Exhibition of the Sonderbund in Salzburg.
1926-27: Travels to Paris and the South of France. Earns a diploma D’Honneur -Bordeaux.
1928: Member of the executive committee of the Hagenbund. Exhibits widely in Austria, Germany,
and Slovakia.
1929: Awarded the Austrian State Prize for his poster of the Vienna Festival Week.
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1930: Arranges a religious exhibition for the “Day of Catholics”
1931: Joins the Fresco exhibition in the Felsenreitschule(Salzburg Rock Riding School).
1934: Awarded the Prize of the City of Vienna.
1939-1950: Forced to emigrate to England. Loses his entire fortune, and many paintings are destroyed.
Starts to teach at the College of Cambridge in England.
1942: Exhibits at the Heffer Gallery in Cambridge, and at Foyles Gallery in London.
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1950: Returns to Salzburg. Collective Exhibition of graphics in the Künstlerhaus(The Art House).
1954: On his 70th birthday, there is a collective exhibition of the Salzburg Organization of Art. He
receives the honorable diploma of the artists organization. Collective Exhibition in Salzburg.
1955: Collective Exhibition in Vienna.
1956: Harta organizes the “International Portrait Exhibition with artists from sixteen different
countries, including American artists in the Salzburg Künsterhaus. Honored by the Cultural
Society. He becomes the Vice-President of the Organization of fine artists in Salzburg.
1957: Vice President of the Artists Club in Salzburg.
1959: On the occasion of his 75th birthday, an exhibition of the Artists Club is held in the Mirabell-
Casino in Salzburg. Harta’s wife, Elisabeth passes in December.
1960: Harta marries the Baroness Daisy Margarethe Von Baillou.
1964: On his 80th birthday, a solo exhibition in his honor is held at the Salzburg Kunstverein.
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1967: On November, 27th, Harta dies in Salzburg, and is buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery.(4)
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(1) This timeline is taken almost verbatim from my mother’s (Eva Harta) estate papers on her father, , and Eva Jandl-Jorg’s timeline in Faistauer, Schiele, Harta & Co: Malerei Verbindet, July 1919 Salzburg Museum, pg. 18-21.
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(2) Historians including EKB thought Harta was a member of the Neukunstgruppe. Although close to these artists, Recent research has confirmed that he was not a founding member of the Neukunstgruppe. See Biography.
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(3) According to Baumgartner, there was positive criticism from Ludwig Prähauser, but the Salzburgers rioted in front of the building, so great was their indignation. (Baumgartner, Edith K. Diss F.A. Harta, Vol I, pg. 185. See OL95 in Oils 1903-1920.
(4) I visited the cemetary, but was told that the grave had been moved; My mother Eva Harta, and her sister, Gusti Wolf maintained the rent for over twenty-five years, but the lease expired, when Gusti passed. I never was told about this.
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