The Old Burgtheater

Gustav Klimt completed this detailed interior view of Vienna's old Burgtheater in 1888, before the historic building was demolished. The work shows the ornate auditorium filled with spectators, their faces rendered as identifiable portraits of Viennese society. Over 100 individual audience members appear in this notable document of theatrical life.

Klimt received this commission as a young artist, before developing the decorative Art Nouveau style for which he became famous. The painting required extensive portrait sittings with prominent Viennese citizens who wished to be included in this record of their beloved theater. The precise realism contrasts sharply with Klimt's later gold-inflected symbolic works. This painting now belongs to the Vienna Museum, documenting the city's cultural history.