The exhibition Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien will explore how Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s art developed in interaction with international modernists, such as Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser. The Vienna Secession movement, which was founded under the direction of Klimt and which set out to reform art, was united by an interest in developing new artistic identities, promoting a modern way of life, and creating large public works of art. The exhibition will bring Gustav Klimt’s paintings to Finland for the first time. In addition to visual art, the exhibition will feature photography and design, including everyday objects, jewellery and fashion.

Der zeit ihre kunst. Der kunst ihre freiheit (To every age its art, to every art its freedom).

(Ludwig Hevesi)

The young artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries wanted to make a radical break away from what they considered to be outdated art ideals and move towards a new, freer conception of art. The most famous example of such a departure is the Vienna Secession, which was founded in 1897 under the direction of Gustav Klimt.

The Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition will present artists with whom Akseli Gallen-Kallela collaborated and in whose exhibitions he participated. At the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna was a pulsating hub of new ideas, styles and international influences, attracting artists from various fields all over Europe. The efforts of these artists to reform art and the world of art are highlighted in the exhibition, which will feature both modern art and design.

The main goal of the Secessionists was the equality of all art forms. Visual art, architecture, crafts, design and fashion were to represent a changed and modern world. The Secessionists were united by the development of a new identity and way of life, as well as an interest in large public works of art and the depiction of beauty. Secessionism was an expansive but not unified art movement. Rather, it incorporated a broad array of styles and a striving for both stylisation and simplification.

The exhibition will feature works, for example, by the following artists and designers: Emilie Flöge, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Ferdinand Hodler, Josef Hoffmann, Gustav Klimt, Broncia Koller-Pinell, Max Kurzweil, Elena Luksch-Makowsky, Koloman Moser, Edvard Munch, and Egon Schiele.

The Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition will be realised in collaboration with the Belvedere art museum in Vienna. The exhibition is curated by the chief curator at the Ateneum, Anu Utriainen in cooperation with Arnika Groenewald-Schmidt, PhD (Belvedere). There will be an exhibition catalogue published in Finnish, Swedish and English.