Burgtheater Opens Klimt Ceiling Paintings to Public During Restoration
The Burgtheater in Vienna has opened its restored ceiling paintings by Gustav Klimt, his brother Ernst, and Franz Matsch to the public for the first time. The 10 paintings, created in the late 1880s, hang 60 feet above the staircases and trace Western theatrical history from Ancient Greece to the 19th century. They were recently restored with cotton swabs and purified water after water damage. Visitors can climb scaffolding to view the works up close, but all guided tour tickets are currently sold out. The commission was a major breakthrough for the trio, earning Klimt the Gold Cross of Merit from Emperor Franz Joseph. An easel version of one of Ernst Klimt's paintings sold at Sotheby's London for £2.2 million ($2.8 million) late last year.
Key facts
- The Burgtheater in Vienna opened its restored ceiling paintings by Gustav Klimt, Ernst Klimt, and Franz Matsch to the public for the first time.
- The 10 paintings were created in the late 1880s for the stairwells of the Neo-Baroque Burgtheater.
- The paintings hang 60 feet above the staircases.
- They were recently restored with cotton swabs and purified water after water damage.
- Visitors can climb scaffolding to view the works up close; all guided tour tickets are currently sold out.
- The commission was part of Emperor Franz Joseph's grand civic project in Vienna.
- Klimt was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit for the project.
- An easel version of one of Ernst Klimt's ceiling paintings sold at Sotheby's London for £2.2 million ($2.8 million) in late 2023.
Entities
Artists
- Gustav Klimt
- Ernst Klimt
- Franz Matsch
- William Shakespeare
- Sophocles
- Molière
- Louis XIV
- Thespis
Institutions
- Burgtheater
- Sotheby's London
- Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule
- Artnet News
Locations
- Vienna
- Austria
- Athens
- Greece
- London
- United Kingdom
- Attica
- Bavaria