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Secessions: Klimt, Stuck, Liebermann at the Wien Museum
Following its appearance at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin in 2023, the exhibition “Secessions: Klimt, Stuck, Liebermann” will be shown at the newly reopened Wien Museum from May 23 until October 13, 2024
Source: Wien Museum · Image: Gustav Klimt, “Palas Atenea” (detail), 1898
The term Secession relates to an important chapter in art history at the dawn of modernism, and is directly associated with Gustav Klimt in Vienna, Franz von Stuck in Munich, and Max Liebermann in Berlin.
The establishment of Secessions in many European countries in the late 19th century symbolized a break with the prevailing artistic institutions. Rejecting the traditional structures of public subsidies and systems of exhibitions whose juries imposed the criteria of traditional art academies, secessionist artists aspired to freedom. Their objective was vibrancy, and a diversity of forms of artistic expression with an international orientation – a precondition for the emergence of artistic modernism.
The exhibition focuses on the overarching nature of these new ideas in Munich, Vienna, and Berlin. They transformed a formerly academic system into an artist-driven scene characterized by new exhibition formats and novel locations. The changes also resulted in a new relationship between artists, collectors, dealers, and critics.
The exhibition combines modern masterpieces with a new account of Central European modernism at the intersection of local specificity and international significance.
Raphael’s “Mary Magdalene” raised more than 200,000 euros in a month.
By Hervé Montois and Nathalie Popis Gadeau
Today marks the end of the exhibition of Raphael’s forgotten masterpiece, “Mary Magdalene,” organized by the Department of Var with support from the Ministry of Culture. Exhibited since April 20 in the Sacristy of the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, the third most significant tomb in Christianity after those in Jerusalem and Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where Mary Magdalene’s tomb is located. Mary Magdalene is considered the apostle to the apostles of Christ.
More than 80,000 visitors from all over the world came to admire this highly secured masterpiece, which generated incredible enthusiasm. This number represents four times the population of this town in Var, located 15 minutes from the main residence of actor George Clooney.
The work is currently estimated to be worth between 300 and 350 million euros.
Admission was 3 euros, benefiting the Basilica. The owners aimed to help restore this magnificent 13th-century Gothic monument and share the work with the public. The emotional impact was profound, with the portrait’s finesse and incredible gentleness. People have described the painting as “More beautiful than the Mona Lisa… The Mona Lisa of Raphael.” The public was deeply moved by its grace and beauty.
In the presence of Vice-President for Culture Serge Loudes, Director of Culture of the Var Department Ricardo Vasquez, several mayors of neighboring towns, and the President of the Friends of the Basilica association, Françoise Sur, this unique exhibition was organized by Vesselina Garello, advisor of the Var Department. It featured a “Sound and Light” show on Saturday, May 18, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. inside the Basilica.
A candle-lit path led to the work installed near the central Altar, accompanied by an organ performance by Tristan Faustt, a very talented musician specializing in exhibitions. Under a starry vault, the fusion of electronic music with the bieral sounds and the masterpiece evoked many emotions.
The President of the Var Department, Mr. Renaud Muselier of the Renaissance political party, pledged to work with the government to make this initiative an example to follow and to spread it throughout France.
The exhibition of a work of art in a place of worship is a first in France and aligns with the policy set by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, who announced a plan to safeguard religious heritage in September 2023. Raphael’s “Mary Magdalene” raised more than 200,000 euros in a month, and the city’s businesses saw their turnover increase considerably, which is spectacular.
Without being desecrated, churches could in the future serve other purposes and become places where art and beauty shine.
A scientific publication will soon appear in Open Science “ART ET SCIENCE,” entitled “Mary Magdalene, the Forgotten Work of Raphael.” The authors are Dr. Stefano Fortunati, an expert in ancient documents who discovered Raphael’s “Mary Magdalene” in the archives of the states of Florence, in the collection of the Duke of Urbino; Nathalie Nolde, an art historian at the Chantilly Cultural Center and art restorer; and Professor Emeritus scientist Jean-Charles Pomerol.
Another version of this painting exists in the Palatine Gallery, attributed without factual basis to the painter Perugino. Historical research and scientific imagery provided by the restoration service of the Uffizi Museum revealed that it is a copy of Raphael’s work.
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