Fundamental social changes around the turn of the century gave women a new position, both from a political and cultural point of view, at this time of the "emergence of modernity". Subjects such as Vienna's cultural role around 1900, the importance of the haute bourgeoisie, patronage and the myth of the Gesamtkunstwerk (»total work of art«) are also examined in this context.
This exhibition reflects the variety that can be discovered in portraits of women in European art at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It illuminates the importance of women in Klimt's work and reveals the personalities behind the gleaming gold and vivid colours in these mythical and iconic portraits. This exhibition presents the first virtually complete overview of Klimt's female portraits.