An exhibition on Gustav Klimt in Salò explores the master's graphic production

From March 22 to May 25, 2025, MuSa in Salò will host KLIMT. Graphic Art. An exhibition that brings together more than 70 graphic works by Gustav Klimt (Baumgarten, 1862 - Vienna, 1918) master of the Viennese Secession, an opportunity to rediscover the extraordinary graphic production of an artist who marked the history of 20th-century art. The exhibition is the brainchild of Federica Bolpagni and Elena Ledda, curators who, in collaboration with the Klimt Foundation in Vienna, offer a journey through Klimt’s thematic and stylistic cornerstones, collecting a series of works ranging from collotypes, heliographs, lithographs, drawings and some original editions of the magazine Ver Sacrum, founded by Klimt himself.

Klimt’s encounter with Lake Garda dates back to 1903, when the Austrian painter first visited the area. Although the stay lasted only two days, the charm of the landscape was such that it prompted him to return ten years later for an extended summer stay. This connection between the artist and the lake is reflected, in part, in his work, which in later years drew inspiration from multiple cultures and styles, including Classicism, Byzantineism and Orientalism. The exhibition KLIMT. Graphic Art is thus presented as a symbolic return of the artist to the heart of his creative period, with a selection that encompasses some of the most representative works created throughout his career.

An exhibition itinerary recounting Klimt’s stylistic evolution.

The exhibition is developed according to a chronological and thematic criterion that allows us to trace the evolution of Klimt’s thought and stylistic choices. It opens with two historically significant works from the Klimt Foundation in Vienna: the lithograph Love (1896-1900) and the heliograph Hope (1907-1908). The tour continues with another prized piece, the original drawing Woman with Cello (1906-1907), one of the female figures that appear in many of his best-known works.

But the center of the exhibition lies in the more than sixty reproductions of Klimt’s drawings from the three historical folders, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt (Hugo Heller, 1918), Gustav Klimt. Fünfundzwanzig Handzeichnungen (Gilhofer & Ranschburg, 1919) and Gustav Klimt. Eine Nachlese (Max Eisler, 1931). The collections offer an opportunity to reflect on Klimt’s graphic production while also revealing themselves as witnesses to a historical period that saw the loss of many of the artist’s works during the World War. The Das Werk von Gustav Klimt folder, for example, is the statement documenting the painter’s work on paintings now lost, and is one of the most valuable collectibles in existence today.

Among the most significant works on view are reproductions of paintings from the Lederer collection, as well as those of the Faculty Paintings, intended for the Great Hall of the University of Vienna. Klimt’s choice to use graphics as a means of reproducing his own work is a central element of his reflection on art, anticipating themes that would become fundamental in later eras, such as the question of technical reproducibility in art, developed by Walter Benjamin.

Ver Sacrum: art and graphic modernity.

A key chapter of this exhibition is devoted to the magazine Ver Sacrum, founded by Gustav Klimt together with other leading figures of the Viennese Secession, such as Alfred Roller, Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Friedrich König. The magazine, published between 1898 and 1902, had a decisive impact on European editorial graphics with its innovative illustrations and radical approach to typesetting. During its five-year life, Ver Sacrum was one of the most influential voices in the European art scene, representing a new generation of artists and intellectuals who opposed the traditional aesthetic canons of the time. The exhibition presents some of the original editions of the magazine, which featured 471 drawings, 55 lithographs and 216 woodcuts by a group of artists who radically changed the perception of art and visual culture.

The historical folders: a heritage to be preserved

The folders published between 1918 and 1931, such as Das Werk von Gustav Klimt and Gustav Klimt. Fünfundzwanzig Handzeichnungen, are now collector’s items of rare beauty and value. The care and accuracy with which they were made make them graphic masterpieces of the highest quality, the rarity of which over time has further increased their appeal among collectors and experts in the field. The folders are a perfect example of how Klimt used technical reproduction to amplify the influence of his work, allowing a wide audience to appreciate and cherish his art even after his death. The editors of the publications include Hugo Heller, considered by Arthur Schnitzler to be “the first modern bookseller of the new Vienna in old Austria,” whose work as a publisher helped make Klimt’s work accessible to an international audience.

The collotype: an art of high precision

A particularly fascinating aspect of the exhibition concerns the collotype technique, a sophisticated process of graphic reproduction invented in 1855 by Alphonse Poitevin and perfected by Joseph Albert. Collotype made it possible to produce prints of the highest quality, with a tonal rendering and softness of mark that made the reproductions particularly similar to the originals. Klimt himself relied on collaboration with photographer Moritz Nähr to achieve the best reproductions of his works. Collotype, in fact, stands out for its ability to faithfully render the colors and texture of the paintings, becoming a favorite technique for reproducing Klimt’s works.

Practical information

Open: March 22-November 30, 2025 Tuesday through Sunday h 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Dec. 1, 2025 - Jan. 6, 2026 Friday to Sunday h 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Special openings: Monday, April 21, Monday, December 8, Tuesday, January 6

Admission: Full 9 € - Reduced 7 €

An exhibition on Gustav Klimt in Salò explores the master's graphic production

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