The emergence of the Secession movements in the late 19th century triggered no less than a revolution in the world of art. This proto-Modernist moment was inextricably linked with Gustav Klimt in Vienna, while in Munich and Berlin, the protagonists were Franz von Stuck and Max Liebermann respectively. The Secession movements emerged in the German-speaking world in close succession with one another – in 1892 in Munich, 1897 in Vienna and finally in Berlin in 1899 – and all featured a significant overlap in terms of the key protagonists.

Rejecting the outmoded structures of government support and exhibition systems in which selection panels applied the criteria of the royal art academies, these artists strove for freedom. Though their individual artistic approaches were by no means unified, this artistic vanguard sought to foster the vibrancy and diversity of artistic forms of expression, with a decidedly international outlook.

The exhibition comprises some 200 paintings, sculptures and graphic works by a range of artists. Through a collaboration with the Wien Museum, Klimt’s oeuvre will form the focus of the exhibition, with more than 50 works on display. As well as this, the show will shine a spotlight on some of the women artists of the Secession movements, from Dora Hitz to Käthe Kollwitz.

The exhibition is made possible by the Freunde der Nationalgalerie with support of White & Case LLP.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in cooperation with Wien Museum