In 1945, a fire at a supposedly safe depot of precious works of art saw numerous masterpieces destroyed. The Gustav Klimt, the MAK, and Immendorf Castle exhibition has the intriguing story.
- Photos, documents, objects & more
- Insightful documentary film
- Reconstructions of lost Klimt paintings
- Quick to get round
- Hosted by the MAK
- Runs Jul 16 – Sept 21, 2025
- See also:
Losses and Legends
(View of the exhibition; press photo © MAK/Stella Riessland)
Given the degree of human suffering through WWII and Nazi atrocities, few had the time and attention to spare much thought for the demise of cultural assets during that era.
Some 80 years later, and we now have psychological room to better explore some of the wider consequences of that dreadful period of Austrian history.
An exhibition at the MAK, for example, tells the tale of the fire at Immendorf Castle in 1945. No ordinary fire this, since it did untold damage to some rather remarkable items: not least several works by the iconic Gustav Klimt.
The castle stood for centuries but the fire more or less wiped it from the map in a matter of days. It was never rebuilt, and they used the wreckage for construction material. That tells you much about the scale of the disaster.
At the time, Immendorf served (somewhat ironically and unfortunately) as a secure depot for keeping valuable works of art safe.
(The post-fire ruins of Schloss Immendorf, ca. 1950; private collection; press photo © Klimt Foundation, Vienna)
So, sadly, Austria lost more than a couple of tapestries and frescoes to the flames.
The Gustav Klimt, the MAK, and Immendorf Castle exhibition is a cooperation with the Klimt Foundation, Vienna, and reveals both the extent of the cultural losses while also exploring the story around the fire.
As regards the former, the MAK museum itself saw numerous precious objects and pieces of furniture destroyed, including the 15th-century Möchling Tomb (a wooden shrine).
Several Klimt paintings also fell victim to the fire, not least his large and legendary Faculty Paintings commissioned for the Medical University’s ceremonial hall in Vienna: a commission abandoned in the wake of a conservative backlash against Klimt’s extraordinary and innovative work.
Other destroyed Klimt works included paintings stolen by the Nazis from the Lederer family collection, some of which you see as life-size reproductions.
(Gustav Klimt, Garden Path with Chickens, 1916; colour collotype from the portfolio Gustav Klimt. A Review, published by Max Eisler, Druck und Verlag der Österreichischen Staatsdruckerei, Vienna, 1931; press photo © Klimt Foundation, Vienna)
In a rather timely coincidence, you can also view AI-supported reconstructions (in colour, despite the almost complete absence of colour records of the works) of the Faculty Paintings over at Lower Belvedere for much of the same time as the Klimt / Immendorf exhibition: see the tips section below.
The documentary element of the exhibition addresses the art’s provenance and storage, as well as the events and theories concerning the fire itself. A rather informative video projection (with English subtitles) draws on witness statements and is well worth the watch.
Fires, castles, WWII, the SS, and precious works of art are a gift to the imagination of storytellers. So it’s nice to have reasoned analysis and explanation of the event, even if the entire truth remains elusive.
A wander round this small exhibition also offers indirect insights into related topics. You get a feel, for example, for the after-life of Klimt’s works.
Rather chillingly (I find), you also encounter the ruthless extent of the Nazi bureaucracy and its insidious nature, where officials, dealers and others worked with stolen goods without any obvious sense of shame.
The ideology and its adherents seemed to blemish everything they touched, even down to storage depots.
Dates, tickets & tips
Immerse yourself in the Immendorf story from July 16th to September 21st 2025. An entrance ticket from or for the MAK includes the special exhibition.
Christmas has come early for Klimt fans this year in Vienna, since along with the usual permanent displays featuring his work, we have some notable special exhibitions running concurrently with the MAK one:
- Pigment & Pixel at Lower Belvedere (until September 7th, 2025) is a behind-the-scenes exhibition from another perspective. As well as the aforementioned reconstructions of the Faculty Paintings, it reveals details of Klimt’s methods and the results of technical analysis of several of his works
- The Bride at Upper Belvedere (until October 5th, 2025) is a deep dive into Klimt’s unfinished painting of the same name, which you can see along with preliminary drawings and biographical context
Finally, to learn about the impact of WWII on the city of Vienna, consider a visit to the Third Man Museum or the Wien Museum (which also has a special exhibition on the war’s aftermath that runs until September 7th, 2025).
How to get to the MAK
The museum is right opposite Stubentor subway station on the U3 line, but check my main MAK museum page for expanded travel tips.
Once inside, head down one level to find the exhibition.
Address: Stubenring 5, 1010 Vienna