The Burgtheater in Vienna has opened guided tours allowing the public to view Gustav Klimt's ceiling paintings up close for the first time, during a restoration of the works. The 10 paintings, created in the late 1880s by Klimt, his brother Ernst, and Franz Matsch, hang 60 feet above the staircases and were recently cleaned with cotton swabs and purified water after water damage. The tours, which require sturdy footwear, are currently sold out due to high demand.
This development matters because it offers rare access to Klimt's early, naturalistic work before his signature Secessionist style, and highlights the historical significance of the Burgtheater commission, which established Klimt's reputation. The paintings trace Western theatrical history and were part of Emperor Franz Joseph's grand civic project. The tour also coincides with renewed market interest in the artists' work, as an easel version of one of Ernst Klimt's ceiling paintings sold for £2.2 million at Sotheby's in late 2024.