Hanna Bertel:
Between Avant-Garde and Tradition. Helene Berg and Smaragda Eger-Berg as Contrasting Artists of Viennese Modernism

Helene Berg and Smaragda Eger-Berg had a close relationship with the composer Alban Berg, as his wife and sister respectively, and they represent contrasting role models in the era of Viennese Modernism. Helene Berg was an artist and talented singer before she abandoned her career as a musician shortly before she married Alban Berg. In contrast, Smaragda Eger-Berg continued as a professional pianist and accompanist despite her marriage, and she thrived in her homosexuality after the break-up of her marriage. Both women were musically active, but their lives took two entirely different paths. While Smaragda carved out her own way through life as a free spirit, Helene cherished her role as a composer’s wife and became integrated into her husband’s artistic milieu.

The aim of this lecture is to illustrate the dimensions of artistic freedom and independence in the lives of the two women, and also to demonstrate the restrictions experienced by them despite the different ways in which they lived, using specific examples. Their individual activities as cultural networkers also reveal fresh perspectives on the role of women in the social and artistic networks of Viennese Modernism. Pictures, excerpts from letters and documents from the Alban Berg Foundation grant a vivid insight into the specific forms of expression and the zeitgeist of this epoch.