(Brünn 1864–1935 Wien)
Born into a family of artists, Alfred Roller studied at the Vienna Academy and became a co-founder of the Vienna Secession in 1897. Until 1903, he worked as a teacher at the School of Applied Arts, then moved to the Vienna State Opera as head of set design, where he established the idea of the scenic Gesamtkunstwerk (complete work of art) together with Gustav Mahler. In 1909, Roller became director of the School of Applied Arts in Vienna, at the same time beginning his long-standing collaboration with Max Reinhardt in Berlin.