Max Oppenheimer (1885–1954), also known as MOPP, started his career in Vienna in the early 20th century, making portraits of prominent artists and writers. In 1914, he relocated to Zurich, where he shifted his attention primarily to music. This would remain his focus for the rest of his life.
An accomplished violinist and music expert, Oppenheimer frequented concerts, counted many of Europe’s leading musicians among his close friends, and was a regular at Zurich’s Cabaret Voltaire, the unofficial headquarters of the avant-garde during World War I. This exposed him to many new artistic idioms. Futurism, with its focus on simultaneity, speed, motion, and mechanization, particularly took hold of his imagination.