| Vienna 1900 saw political stagnation and decadence, at the same time also a cultural and intellectual renaissance unparalleled in the modern world. Gustav Klimt, Otto Wagner and Josef Hoffmann, the most inspirational talents of the time, broke new grounds in the fields of architecture, painting and design. They seceded from Vienna's conservative, undistinguished art establishment and found their own art association. They called themselves "Secessionists" and named their newly-built exhibition hall with its laurel-leaf patterned dome Secession."To each age its art, to art its freedom", was their motto. A rebirth of the arts and new concepts of design were what they were aiming at. Their legacy still lives on.<br><br>We start our tour with an introduction to Gustav Klimt's iconic Beethoven Frieze which was his contribution for an exhibition of the Secession honouring Beethoven. Originally located on the main floor, it was eventually moved to its present basement location where it is has been on permanent display since 1985. Its main theme is man's search for happiness and fulfilment which he finds in art, and of course, in Beethoven's music. We continue with three other iconic examples of Secessionist art, all by Otto Wagner, the father of Vienna's Modernist architecture: the Majolica House with its flowery tiled facade, stations he designed for the Vienna Metropolitan Line, and the Postal Savings Bank, a remarkable example of the rectilinear secessionist style.
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