Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition to bring the pulse of Vienna to the Ateneum

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artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries wanted to make a radical break away from what they considered to be outdated art ideals and move towards a new, freer conception of art.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. 

An expansive movement to develop new artistic identities and strive for a simplification of form 

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. 

Akseli Gallen-Kallela focused on Finnish subject matter, but he developed his expression in close interaction with international modernists. One of these was Koloman Moser, who shared Gallen-Kallela’s interest in the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk and the idea of equality between different art forms. Gallen-Kallela worked in Central Europe from 1895 to 1908, and participated in exhibitions presenting work by Secessionist groups in several cities in Germany, and twice in Vienna, in 1901 and 1904. 

Women working as artists and designers 

Women could not become official members of the Vienna Secession, but they participated in exhibitions and played a significant role in the reform effort. The role of women as artists and designers was particularly important in the Wiener Werkstätte, an association of “artists and artisans”, which brought together art and everyday objects according to a comprehensive design philosophy. There will be a special section in the Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition dedicated to the Wiener Werkstätte. 

In addition to visual art, the exhibition will include photography and design: everyday objects, jewellery and fashion, such as a reform dress by the fashion designer Emilie Flöge. The new shape of the reform dress freed women from the ideal of the wasp waist and the tightness of corsets. Flöge was an Austrian fashion designer and businesswoman, and the longest-standing companion of Gustav Klimt. 

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. 

Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien at the Ateneum, 26 September 2025–1 February 2026 

Opening hours and admission

Opening hours 27 Jan–30 Jun 2025 and 1 Sep–31 Dec 2025: 

Mon closed | Tue–Wed 10–18 | Thu 10–20 | Fri 10–18 | Sat–Sun 10–17 |  

In July and August, the museum will also be open on Mondays. From 1 July to 31 August 2025, the museum will be open as follows: 

Mon 11–17 | Tue–Wed 10–18 | Thu 10–20 | Fri 10–18 | Sat–Sun 10–17 |  

Admission fees  

Standard ticket at the ticket office €22 | Standard ticket online €20 | Concession ticket €12 | 18–24-year-olds €12 | Under 18-year-olds free of charge | Free admission with a Museum Card