In a rare occasion, the Mart brings together the two “Italian” masterpieces by Klimt, “Judith II” and “The Three Ages of Woman”. Testimonials to the Viennese master’s stay in Italy and his spiritual legacy, the works belong to two important public collections and are the cornerstones of the exhibition “Klimt and Italian Art”. Around 200 works provide the basis for an analysis of Klimt's influence on the great artists of the early 20th century, including Felice Casorati, Adolfo Wildt, Vittorio Zecchin and Luigi Bonazza.
The Italians took Klimt's influence and reworked it in their own independent and original way: the references can be seen in the decorations, lines, colours and style, which were ultimately blended with local approaches to art, fostering new forms of research. With this exhibition, the Mart provides a rich complex overview, where various disciplines - from painting to the decorative arts - coexist under the banner of a recognisable taste that was sumptuous, seductive and decadent.