Unruly Facts About Alma Mahler, The Dark Jewel Of Vienna
Although Alma Mahler has fallen into obscurity today, there was no one in the golden age of Vienna who didn’t know her name—and her salacious reputation. She rose to prominence as “merely”
the wife of the famous composer Gustav Mahler, but it wasn’t long before the world found out all the devilish secrets she hid behind her angelic face.
1. She Was Artistic Royalty
As the daughter of the famous Viennese landscape painter Emil Schindler, Alma Mahler had artistic genius in her blood—she herself composed on the piano from an extremely young age. But from the beginning, there was a dark side to her. Spoiled and privileged, Alma’s family expected big things and advantageous marriages from their little girl. Well, they soon learned to be careful what they wished for.
2. She Was A Teenage Celebrity
For all little Alma’s scholarly pursuits, one thing became clear as she grew into a teenager: She was gorgeous. More than that, she had effervescent social skills, and she put them to use night after night in Vienna’s vibrant artistic circles.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before people were calling her “the most beautiful girl in Vienna”—and she started attracting the wrong kind of attention.
3. A Famous Artist Fell In Love With Her
At the turn of the 20th century, Alma was just getting out of her teen years and fully coming into her own as one of the belles of Vienna. It was then that she crossed paths with the tormented artist Gustav Klimt.
Klimt, despite being over a decade older than her, immediately fell in love with the smart, cultured, elegant 20-year-old. But Alma’s response was extremely telling.
4. She Had A May-December Romance
Even at this tender age, Alma knew what she was about, and she jumped headlong into an affair with Klimt. The details were frightening. Klimt loved her with a possession and passion that would soon be the trademark of Alma’s lovers…and Alma hit him right back. As she described one of their kisses: “[it was a] kiss with which he begged me never to love another man and with which I gave him my promise”.
Only, Alma wasn’t a woman who kept her promises.
