Klimt exhibitions in Rome and Piacenza celebrate Secession and intimate side

Two major Gustav Klimt exhibitions will open in Rome and Piacenza as part of the PROGETTO KLIMT 2021-2022, marking the 110th anniversary of Klimt's participation in the 1911 Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte in Italy. The first, 'Klimt. La Secessione e l’Italia,' curated by Franz Smola (Belvedere), Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli (Sovrintendente Capitolina ai Beni Culturali), and Sandra Tretter (Klimt Foundation), opens October 27 at Palazzo Braschi in Rome. It features works from the Belvedere, Klimt Foundation, and other collections, including the 'Ritratto di Signora' (1916-1917) from Piacenza's Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi. The second exhibition, 'Klimt intimo,' opens April 5, 2022 at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi in Piacenza, focusing on the artist's personal life, centered on the recovered 'Ritratto di Signora.' The painting was stolen from the gallery in 1997 and rediscovered in 2019 during cleaning of an ivy plant on an external wall, hidden behind a trapdoor. The sitter may be Alma Mahler or Ria Munk. The work was acquired in 1925 by industrialist and patron Giuseppe Ricci Oddi, who donated his collection to Piacenza, leading to the museum's opening in 1931. Both exhibitions are promoted by Roma Capitale and the Comune di Piacenza, organized by Arthemisia.