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From the peak of the Habsburg dynasty, fin-de-siècle Vienna offered the Viennese bourgeoisie a unique place to broaden their intellectual and artistic creativity. Artists of such caliber as Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg flocked to this enticing city at the turn of the twentieth century. Alma Mahler was a strong woman and a product of her time. Other women wanted her in their circle of friends and men desired her. The list of her acquaintances, friends, and lovers includes some of the most brilliant artists of the twentieth century. Through her marriages to Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius, and Franz Werfel, she influenced the creative output of three primary artistic figures in music, architecture, and literature. Her presence in the art world is documented in the work of Oskar Kokoschka. She used her influence throughout her life to further music, art, and literature. Although her biography reveals character flaws, such as egotism and anti-Semitism, Alma Mahler is illuminated as an important historical figure due to her consistently close proximity to genius.
