Description
Auditorium of the Old Burgtheater is the painting that made the young Gustav Klimt famous in Vienna: in 1888–1889 he painted the old court theatre on Michaelerplatz from the stage, with its curved tiers of boxes, a great crystal chandelier and almost 200 tiny portraits of Viennese society in the seats. The original, a gouache on paper, is in the Wien Museum. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in six sizes from 60 x 55 to 160 x 140 cm or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
| Title: | Auditorium of the Old Burgtheater |
| Other titles: | Zuschauerraum im Alten Burgtheater · La sala del vecchio Burgtheater |
| Painter: | Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) |
| Year painted: | 1888–1889 |
| Original size: | 91.2 cm x 103 cm |
| Original technique: | Gouache on paper |
| Painting style: | Historicism, realist interior (early work) |
| Located at: | Wien Museum, Vienna (inv. 31813/1) |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, six sizes or made to measure |
Auditorium of the Old Burgtheater – Gustav Klimt
What does the painting show?
You stand on the stage and look out into the hall. In front of you the horseshoe of the auditorium curves away in three tiers of cream-and-gold balconies, every box filled with small figures. From a richly decorated ceiling hangs a large crystal chandelier, and below it the stalls are packed with people in dark evening clothes and pale dresses, with rows of red velvet seats at the very front.
It is a moment before or between the acts: people talk, look around and greet each other rather than watch a play. The painting is full of tiny scenes, a lady with a fan, a man leaning over the balustrade, a couple turning towards each other, and the longer you look, the more you find. It is a portrait of a room and of a whole city’s evening out at once.
Who is sitting in the audience?
Klimt did not paint an anonymous crowd. The painting contains almost 200 miniature portraits of members of the audience, and 133 of them can be identified as well-known figures of Viennese society. Among them are the composer Johannes Brahms, the actress Katharina Schratt, the surgeon Theodor Billroth, the actor Alexander Girardi and Klimt’s own brother Ernst.
This is the most charming part: a painting you can explore like a book of faces from Vienna around 1890. Music lovers look for Brahms, theatre lovers for Girardi and Schratt, and everyone enjoys the elegant crowd of a great evening at the theatre.
Why did Klimt paint the old Burgtheater?
Because the building was about to disappear. In 1888 the Vienna City Council commissioned the painting shortly before the old Burgtheater on Michaelerplatz was demolished, so that a record of the famous auditorium would remain after the company moved to its new theatre on the Ring. Klimt and his colleague Franz von Matsch each painted the interior, and Klimt chose the view from the stage into the hall.
That makes the painting both a work of art and a piece of history: it keeps alive a room that no longer exists, filled with the people who loved it. It also shows a side of Klimt that many people do not know. Before the gold, the ornaments and the women of his later years, he was a brilliant realist who could paint hundreds of faces in perfect detail.
Where is the original?
The original, painted in gouache on paper and about 91.2 cm high and 103 cm wide, belongs to the Wien Museum in Vienna, where it is on display in the permanent exhibition Vienna. My History. On 25 April 1890 Klimt received the Emperor’s Prize (Kaiserpreis) of 400 ducats for it, an honour reserved for patriotic works of art. More about the painting and the people in it is on English Wikipedia.
If you plan a visit to Vienna, check the museum’s website first, because works are not always on display. Our version is not a print: it is painted for you, by hand, in the size you choose.
The Burgtheater among Klimt’s works
In our gallery you can follow the path from this realist interior to Klimt’s golden style. Pallas Athena shows the goddess with gold armour from his early Secession years; Beethoven Frieze I (detail) is part of his great frieze on music; The Kiss is his most famous golden painting; and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is the golden portrait of a Viennese lady from the same society that filled these seats.
The Burgtheater is the most detailed and the most historical of them. Choose it if you love theatre, music or old Vienna; if you want Klimt’s shining gold, The Kiss or Adele Bloch-Bauer I will suit you better.
How do we paint the Burgtheater by hand?
The painter first draws the perspective: the curves of the three tiers, the line of the stalls and the position of the chandelier, so that the hall opens up exactly as in the original. Then the large areas go on in thin layers of oil, the cream balconies, the warm shadows of the boxes, the ceiling and the dark mass of the audience.
After that comes the slow part: the small figures, one by one, faces, dresses, evening coats and hats, the sparkle of the chandelier and the red of the velvet seats. A printed oil painting reproduction cannot give these tiny figures any body; painted by hand, each one is a small brushstroke portrait. Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are quite alike.
Klimt painted the original in gouache, an opaque watercolour, on paper; ours is painted in oil on canvas, which keeps the colours deep and is easy to hang without glass. The gold-coloured mouldings of the balconies are painted in ochre and gold paint, applied by hand.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 60 x 55 or 80 x 70 cm for a small wall, a hallway or a study; 90 x 80 or 100 x 90 cm above a sofa, a piano or a sideboard; and 140 x 130 or 160 x 140 cm for a large wall or an open-plan room. The 100 x 90 cm size is about as big as the original.
All six sizes are slightly wider than high, close to the proportion of the original, so nothing important is cut. Because the painting is full of tiny figures, it rewards a larger size: the bigger it is, the easier it is to find Brahms or Girardi in the crowd. As a painting for the living room, 100 x 90 cm gives the hall real depth above a sofa, and in a music room it looks wonderful above a piano.
Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 to 160 cm above the floor; over furniture, leave 20 to 30 cm between the top of the furniture and the lower edge of the canvas.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If none of the six sizes fits your wall, we paint it to measure, for example in exactly the proportion of the original. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote the price and delivery time. Every painting we make is stretched on a wooden stretcher frame and ready to hang.
For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. A classic gold frame suits the theatre’s cream-and-gold balconies; a dark wood frame gives it the feel of an old Viennese salon.
Delivery and guarantee
Every painting is made to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve; if anything is not right, we correct it while the canvas is still in our workshop. Our returns policy applies to every order.
If it is a gift and you are not sure of the size, there is our gift voucher. More of Klimt’s work is in our Gustav Klimt gallery, and more about the painter in our article 10 interesting facts about Gustav Klimt.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original Auditorium of the Old Burgtheater?
The original is in the Wien Museum in Vienna, where it hangs in the permanent exhibition Vienna. My History under inventory number 31813/1. It is painted in gouache on paper and measures about 91.2 cm high and 103 cm wide. If you plan a visit, check the museum’s website first, because works are sometimes moved or lent.
Who is painted in Klimt’s Burgtheater painting?
Almost 200 members of the audience appear as miniature portraits, and 133 of them can be identified as well-known Viennese of the time. Among them are Johannes Brahms, the actress Katharina Schratt, the surgeon Theodor Billroth, the actor Alexander Girardi and Klimt’s brother Ernst. That is why the painting is often explored face by face.
Is Brahms in Klimt’s Burgtheater painting?
Yes. The composer Johannes Brahms is one of the identified people in the audience, among almost 200 miniature portraits of Viennese society. That makes the painting a lovely choice for music lovers: hung above a piano or in a music room, it brings a real evening of old Vienna, with Brahms in the crowd, into your home.
Who commissioned Klimt’s Burgtheater painting?
The Vienna City Council commissioned it in 1888, shortly before the old Burgtheater on Michaelerplatz was demolished, so that a record of the famous auditorium would remain. Klimt and Franz von Matsch each painted the interior, and Klimt chose the view from the stage into the full hall, with its boxes, balconies and chandelier.
What prize did Klimt win for the Burgtheater painting?
On 25 April 1890 Klimt received the Emperor’s Prize, the Kaiserpreis, of 400 ducats for this painting, an award reserved for patriotic works of art. It was an early high point of his career and helped make the young painter known in Vienna, long before his golden period and The Kiss.
What technique is the Burgtheater painting in?
Klimt painted the original in gouache, an opaque watercolour, on paper. We paint our version in oil on canvas, which keeps the colours deep, needs no glass and is ready to hang. Every tiny figure is painted by hand, and the gold-coloured mouldings of the balconies are done in ochre and gold paint, not gold leaf.
Which size of the Burgtheater painting suits my wall?
For a small wall, a hallway or a study, 60 x 55 or 80 x 70 cm works well. Above a sofa, a piano or a sideboard choose 90 x 80 or 100 x 90 cm, and for a large wall 140 x 130 or 160 x 140 cm. The 100 x 90 cm size is about as big as the original.
Which room suits the Burgtheater painting?
It suits a living room, a dining room, a music room, a study or a hallway, anywhere you want a touch of old Vienna. As a canvas painting with cream, gold and red tones it pairs well with classic furniture, dark wood, velvet and warm lighting. It is also a natural choice for anyone who works in theatre or music.
Is the Burgtheater painting a good gift?
Yes, especially for lovers of theatre, opera, classical music or Vienna, and for Klimt admirers who would enjoy discovering his early realist side. The hunt for Brahms and the other famous faces makes it a painting people keep returning to. If you are not sure of the size, choose 90 x 80 cm, or give a voucher.
- Subject: the auditorium of the old Vienna court theatre seen from the stage, three tiers of boxes, a crystal chandelier and an audience of almost 200 portraits.
- Original: 1888–1889, gouache on paper, 91.2 x 103 cm, Wien Museum, Vienna.
- Our version: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in six sizes or made to measure.
- Good to know: before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval.
