Arnold Schönberg
In around 1909 he created three sets of playing cards. His inventiveness was driven by a passion for rules, order and numbers.
Playing Cards created by Arnold Schönberg
"Self-expression is the thing! Direct self-expression! But not expressing one's taste, one's education or one's intellect, one's knowledge or one's skills. None of these acquired qualities. Rather the innate, instinctive qualities. And the quest for form - the conscious quest - is bound to involve some kind of mathematics, or geometry, the golden section and so on..." - Extract from a letter from Schönberg to Kandinsky, 24.1.1911.
Arnold Schönberg's (1874-1951) creativity was not limited to music. He practised several extra-musical pursuits, producing at least 250 paintings, toys, games, chess sets and playing cards for his own use. He even did his own bookbinding. In around 1909 he created three sets of playing cards. One set used grotesque imagery and visual puns from his caricatures and doodles, with the suit symbols integrated into the designs (see image→). Another set (shown below) is more severe and geometric, almost digital. His inventiveness was driven by a passion for rules, order and numbers, and his cards also reveal his capacity for highly personal expression. The elongated cards are divided into four suits (based upon clubs, hearts, spades and diamonds) each comprising both numeral and double-ended court cards. The designs don't contain many curves and are more technical than fluid. The influence of Jugendstil is recognisable. The third set is probably for children.
Note: it is always fascinating to discover that even the greatest geniuses can be flawed. There is one small error on these cards which the great composer made but never corrected. Look carefully at the King of Hearts and you will see that he has forgotten to turn the suit-sign at the far end of the card. The Queen and Jack of Hearts are fine. Schönberg was human after all! - Roddy Somerville.
By Barney Townshend
Member since October 06, 2015
Retired Airline Pilot, interested in: Transformation Playing Cards, Karl Gerich and Elaine Lewis. Secretary of the EPCS. Treasurer of the IPCS.
Trending Articles
Related Articles
Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Film Noir
A deck of 55 cards, celebrating hard boiled heroes, wise-cracking women, mean streets, guns and gums...
Science Fiction
A deck of 55 cards, celebrating a time when Science Fiction truly was, Science Fiction.
Feh Schnapskarten
Colourful promotional pack for Feh household and toilet papers.
Pin-Ups
A deck of 55 cards celebrating a golden age of cheeky, naughty, bold and curvy ladies in film.
Classic Movie Posters
A deck of 55 cards presenting vintage classic movies and their stars.
That’s Entertainment
A deck of 55 cards celebrating 20th Century vaudeville, musicals and cabaret.
Paco Lobo
Highly original and striking designs by Paco Lobo for the fashion house of the same name.
Sweden playing cards
Named characters from Swedish history.
Romania playing cards
Romanian voivodes and their wives from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Hitchcock
A deck of 55 cards celebrating the master of mystery, murder and mayhem, Alfred Hitchcock.
Jeu Boléro
Sweeping, semi-abstract designs by J.L. Jolin in red and black only.
Knoll International
Geometric designs by the French artist Jean Garçon for Knoll International, the furniture company.
Marcello Morandini
Modern designs by Italian artist Marcello Morandini using the simplest of forms and colours.
Claude Weisbuch
Free reinterpretation of the traditional Paris pattern courts by the artist Claude Weisbuch.
El Niño de las Pinturas
Forty-nine distinctive works by Spanish graffiti artist Raúl Ruiz.
Trappola pack by Joseph Fetscher
Trappola pack published by Joseph Fetscher, Graz, 1739.
Celluloid Kasino-Poker Nr.92
published by Mirakel-Spielkarten in Vienna
Trappola pack by Anton Herrl
Trappola pack of 36 double-ended cards published by Anton Herrl, Graz, Austria.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Pack featuring six images from the Disney film of the same name, on cards made for Eastern Europe.
Pendleton playing cards
Pendleton playing cards inspired by indigenous American artwork, USA, 2019.
Winnie the Pooh Rummy
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh and friends on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
The Pack of Positivity
Katie Abey’s rainbow-coloured designs using crazy animals to convey motivating phrases.
Old School Playing cards from Moon
Designed and published by Leo Scherfig
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Characters and scenes from the Disney film of the same name, on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
Disney Princess
Featuring Disney Princesses and Enchanting Tales in two sizes of pack made for Eastern Europe.
Mickey Mouse Rummy
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other Disney characters on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
Royal Hawaiian playing cards
Royal Hawaiian playing cards published by the Royal Hawaiian Playing Card Company, Honolulu.
Shamrock Irish Heritage playing cards
A celebration of some of Ireland’s most famous patriots, politicians and poets.
Lenormand Wahrsage-Karten No. 55
Conventional Lenormand designs on a pack from Piatnik but with unconventional numbering.
Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights (1001 Nights Tarot)
This tarot deck captures the idealised Eastern world's magic from the eighteenth and nineteenth cent...
ORIENT The Queen of Cards
A unique Art creation of Subho Tagore
Newtropolis and the Fantastic Fur
Newtropolis and the Fantastic Fur: Heroes vs. Villains playing cards illustrated by Peter Wood, 2015...
Budapest souvenir
Colour views of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, on all the courts and Aces.
Salmon Flies
Icelandic pack featuring a different salmon fly on every card.
Baraja Española de Pintores Murcianos
A Spanish-suited pack as conceived by 48 different artists from the region of Murcia.
Neiman Marcus playing cards
Cowboys and American Indians on a pack for Neiman Marcus, the Dallas department store.
Le Jeu d’Issy
Bold designs by Jacques Auriac representing people and enterprises for which the town of Issy-les-Mo...
Bilder zum Tarot
Detailed pen and ink drawings of the major arcana by the German artist Helmut Wonschick.
Le Jeu de la Chance
Original designs by French artist Jean Vérame, with clubs replaced by four-leaf clovers to bring goo...
Secretos de Oriente
Secrets of the Far East playing cards featuring the designs of Violeta Monreal , Spain, c. 1991.