At the Museum of the City of Rijeka, in the Palace of Sugar, the exhibition 'Path to Success – Early Works by Gustav and Ernst Klimt' has opened. The installation features a selection of early works by the Klimt brothers from the collections and archives of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and can be viewed until 13 December.
At the heart of the exhibition are five drawings produced during the training of Gustav and Ernst Klimt at the School of Applied Arts in Vienna, today the University of Applied Arts. Among them is 'Brunn's Head', a study of an ancient female head created by Gustav Klimt in 1878, when he was only 15 years old. This is his second oldest known signed and dated work.
Also on display are four rose studies previously attributed to Gustav Klimt. New research has shown that they were produced by his younger brother, Ernst, between 1880 and 1883.
The exhibition is linked to Rijeka through the Rijeka Cycle, nine monumental allegorical paintings created by Gustav and Ernst Klimt in 1885 together with Franz Matsch for the local theatre. The cycle is permanently displayed in the Palace of Sugar, and following restoration in 2021, it is part of the collection of the Museum of the City of Rijeka.
By linking the school works to the Rijeka Cycle, the exhibition shows the development of the Klimt brothers from school studies to monumental works. It offers visitors a view of the period before Klimt's Vienna Secession, his golden phase, and his international fame, while reminding us of the important Rijeka episode in the early stages of his career. The exhibition is curated by Deborah Pustišek.
