Two “Klimt” Exhibitions Opening in April 2019
In April 2019, two major exhibitions bearing the name “Klimt” will open.
2019 marks the 150th anniversary of friendship between Japan and Austria, so this is no mere coincidence.
Left: “Vienna on the Path to Modernism: Klimt, Schiele and Their Times” / Right: “Klimt: Vienna–Japan 1900”
One is “Vienna on the Path to Modernism: Klimt, Schiele and Their Times” (from April 24, 2019, at The National Art Center, Tokyo), and the other is “Klimt: Vienna–Japan 1900” (from April 23, 2019, at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum).
The opening dates are just one day apart — an almost engineered simultaneity.
For detailed overviews, please see the articles below.
The main course of both exhibitions is the work of Klimt.
Comparison Chart: Vienna Modern vs. Klimt Exhibition
This article is a side-by-side comparison of these two concurrent exhibitions, centered on their Klimt holdings.
We’ll compare “Vienna on the Path to Modernism” and “Klimt: Vienna–Japan 1900” point by point.
* On smartphones, please scroll horizontally.
| Exhibition name |
Vienna on the Path to Modernism |
Klimt |
| Venue | The National Art Center, Tokyo | Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum |
| Period | April 24 – August 5, 2019 | April 23 – July 10, 2019 |
| Traveling venue | The National Museum of Art, Osaka August 27 – December 8, 2019 |
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art July 23 – October 14, 2019 |
| Organizers | The National Art Center, Tokyo (Tokyo venue) The National Museum of Art, Osaka (Osaka venue) Wien Museum The Yomiuri Shimbun, Yomiuri Television (Osaka venue) |
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, The Asahi Shimbun, TBS, Belvedere, Vienna |
| Total works | Approx. 400 (Osaka: 330) | To be announced |
| Klimt works | 47 | Over 20, mainly oil paintings |
| Klimt oil paintings | Undisclosed | Over 20 — a record number |
| Featured Klimt work (1) |
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| Featured Klimt work (2) |
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| Featured Klimt work (3) |
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A precise reproduction of the 34-meter-long Beethoven Frieze
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| Works by other artists |
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Works by contemporaries of Klimt active in Vienna, as well as Japanese art that influenced him, will be on display.
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| Admission (advance) | To be announced | General: 1,400 yen |
| Admission (door) | To be announced | General: 1,600 yen |
| Special tickets | To be announced | Many, released on a rolling basis |
| Audio guide | To be announced | To be announced |
| News article on this site | Vienna Modern news article | Klimt exhibition news article |
| Official site | https://artexhibition.jp/wienmodern2019/ | https://klimt2019.jp/ |
| Official Twitter | Vienna Modern | Klimt exhibition |
| Highlights | The Wien Museum is one of Europe’s leading museums, and the current renovation gives us a rare chance to see its principal holdings brought together and shown as a group. Klimt gets top billing, but this is a comprehensive show that also brings in Schiele and Kokoschka and spans painting, architecture, applied arts, and music — the full breadth of Vienna’s artistic culture. The show announces 47 Klimt works, but the Wien Museum’s Klimt holdings include “400 drawings,” so we expect drawings to make up a significant share. A prime opportunity to encounter the variety of Viennese art in the generous galleries of The National Art Center, Tokyo. |
An exhibition organized under the supervision of the Belvedere, Vienna, home to the finest Klimt collection in the world. As a result, the show gathers a large number of Klimt’s oil paintings — his signature medium — and should thoroughly satisfy his fans. Information on non-Klimt works is thin at this point, so, true to its billing as a “Klimt exhibition,” this looks set to be a show devoted to sustained contemplation of the oils. |
Comparing the Goods Shops
We visited both exhibitions early on, and both had impressively fleshed-out special goods areas in common.
There are plenty of high-quality products, and you can feel how far the contemporary art exhibition has evolved.
Visit reports
We attended the openings of both exhibitions.
We’ve included venue and work images for each — take a look if you’re interested.
Seeing both shows in tandem will surely deepen the art experience.
Summary
・Though both exhibitions share the Klimt thread, they are entirely different shows.
・For those who want to soak up as much Klimt as possible, we recommend seeing both.
・To savor Klimt’s true forte — his oil paintings — the “Klimt” exhibition is the pick.
・To use Klimt as a gateway into the whole of Vienna’s artistic culture, “Vienna on the Path to Modernism” is your best chance.
* At “Vienna on the Path to Modernism” you’ll also see many of Klimt’s drawings.
・Naturally, our recommendation is “see them both.”
