Stoclet & cartons applied arts
At MAK, Klimt does not discover himself as an isolated easel painter. His nine life-size drawings dialogue with Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and the Wiener Werkstätte: a world where mosaic, furniture, textiles and architecture form a single work.
What do we really see at MAK?
Klimt's original work, not the Brussels mosaic
The MAK keeps them nine life-size execution drawings designed for the dining room frieze of the Stoclet Palace. These are autonomous works, covered with colors, metal sheets, indications and corrections. The final mosaics remain in the Stoclet Palace, a private residence in Brussels.
At MAK, in Vienna
The preparatory boxes allow you to read Klimt's gesture, his repentances, the notes intended for the artisans and the transition from line to material.
At the Stoclet Palace, in Brussels
The completed frieze belongs to the architecture of Josef Hoffmann. It uses mosaic, glass, ceramics, stones and precious metals in the dining room.
Nine sheets to rebuild an entire room
The whole is not a series of independent paintings. Klimt thinks of three walls: two long compositions respond to each other, while a narrower panel marks the back of the room. From the center, the spirals of the Tree of Life connect the isolated figure of Waiting to the entwined couple of Accomplishment.
Waiting. A figure facing right, dress of triangles, profile inspired by Egypt and almost ritual immobility.
The Tree. A network of spirals fills the wall, removes depth and transforms plants into architecture.
The Accomplishment. The embracing couple closes the story. The rectangles, circles and flowers bring the two bodies together in the same envelope.
From waiting to hugging
The contrast is voluntary. In The Waiting, the body is thinned, almost geometric. The triangles of the dress, the hand placed in front of the face and the eye in profile produce an attentive but separate figure. In The Accomplishment, the silhouettes merge: the feet become discreet, the clothes form a single mass and the floral decoration seems to absorb the couple.
However, the meaning is not fixed as in an illustration. Klimt combines Egyptian motifs, orientalizing signs, modern geometry and invented symbols. The strength of the cycle comes precisely from this ambiguity: expectation, desire, growth, union and repetition are read simultaneously.
And the "Knight"?
The narrow panel at the back of the room is often called Knight. Its frontal, almost heraldic shape acts as a visual stop. At MAK, its presentation allows you to compare its compact verticality to the two long side walls.
Start at five or six meters to understand the architectural composition. Then come back as close as possible: the notes, connections and changes in material then become as important as the characters.
A drawing that already controls the material
The word "cardboard" can be misleading. This is neither a cheap reproduction nor a simple sketch. In monumental arts, cardboard is a scale-of-execution model intended to guide transfer to the wall, mosaic, stained glass or tapestry.
Klimt uses pencil, opaque and watercolor paint, metal highlights and added papers. Gold, silver and platinum are not only used to produce shine: they distinguish areas that mosaicists will have to translate with glass, ceramic, stone or metal. Annotations specify the choices, while corrections reveal a work still in motion.
The Stoclet Palace, a total work of art
Banker and collector Adolphe Stoclet entrusts his Brussels house to Josef Hoffmann. Built from 1905 to 1911, the residence combines architecture, garden, furniture, crockery, lighting, fabrics and wall decor. Klimt therefore intervenes in a system already regulated by the proportions of Hoffmann and by the know-how of Wiener Werkstätte.
The dining room is the most spectacular meeting point. The marble walls frame the mosaics executed by Leopold Forstner's workshop from Klimt's cartoons. Glass, ceramics, enamel, mother-of-pearl, stones and precious metals transform the real light of the room. This is why a frontal photograph of the frieze is never enough to restore the experience: the work depends on the architecture, the visitor's movement and the reflections.
The Stoclet Palace is not an annex of the MAK and is not an accessible museum like the Belvedere. This is private property in Brussels. To study the genesis of the decor, the MAK is therefore the essential public place.
The Wiener Werkstätte makes the image habitable
Founded in 1903 by Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and Fritz Waerndorfer, the Wiener Werkstätte wanted to give a coherent form to everyday objects. The MAK has its archives and an exceptional set of works: drawings, furniture, silverware, jewelry, textiles, fashion and graphics. Looking at these objects after the Stoclet boxes allows us to understand that Klimtian ornament shares with them the same logic of surface, repetition and precise manufacturing.
Josef Hoffmann, sugar bowl
Even on a small scale, geometry regulates volume, grip and reflection. The object shows how an everyday utensil can become miniature architecture.
Koloman Moser, secretary
Dark veneer, inlays and frontal composition bring the furniture closer to an abstract image. Here, opening a door changes the composition.
Textiles and repetition
The pattern doesn't illustrate: it spreads. This continuity helps read Klimt's spirals as a system capable of covering an entire wall.
"VIENNA 1900" reinstalled in 2026
Since February 25, 2026, the MAK has offered a new reading of its permanent collection under the title VIENNA 1900 -Everyday. A Total Work of Art. Stoclet boxes appear among furniture, fashion, graphics and everyday objects. This proximity is decisive: it prevents Klimt from being reduced to decorative gold and shows how Viennese modernity has attempted to transform the daily environment.
Six details to look for in front of the boxes
The fittings
Identify how the joined sheets make up a larger surface area than the drawing support.
The spirals
Follow a branch: it organizes the wall without respecting the natural growth of a tree.
Eyes
Triangular patterns, birds and black shapes produce a network of glances in the decor.
Metals
Compare gold, silver and matte areas: real light is part of the composition.
The notes
The handwritten instructions make visible the dialogue between the painter and the performers.
The distance
Alternate overview and detail: the monumental program cannot be understood from a single point.
Timetables, access and recommended route
The MAK is located at Stubenring 5, 1010 Vienna, near Stubentor. The station is served by metro U3 and tram 2. The museum is open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Monday. As times and prices may change, always check the official page on the day of your visit.
90 minute route
- Enter VIENNA 1900 and first spot Hoffmann and Moser's objects.
- Spend at least twenty minutes on the nine boxes, alternating back and close observation.
- Compare sugar bowl, furniture and textiles to Klimt geometry.
- Finish with archives and fashion elements to expand the notion of a total work of art.
Klimt reproductions and collections from the store
A hand-painted reproduction of the large spiral pattern, in a panoramic format adapted to its horizontal rhythm.
See reproduction →MAK and Stoclet frieze
Are the original mosaics of the Stoclet frieze at MAK?
No. The completed mosaics are in the dining room of the Stoclet Palace in Brussels. The MAK preserves Gustav Klimt's nine life-size execution drawings.
Why are drawings called "cartons"?
In monumental arts, cardboard is a large-scale model used to transfer a composition to another medium, for example a mosaic, tapestry or stained glass window. The term describes a function, not the value of the material.
How much time should you allow at MAK for Klimt?
Allow around 1 hour 15 minutes if you are targeting the Vienna 1900 collection and the boxes. A general visit to the MAK is worth two to three hours.
Can we visit the Stoclet Palace in Brussels?
The palace remains private property and is not an open museum with regular ticketing. Its frieze should therefore not be confused with the public presentation of the MAK.
What to see around Klimt's boxes?
Take a particular look at the furniture of Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, the metal objects, textiles, fashion, mosaic and the archives of the Wiener Werkstätte. They concretely explain the idea of a total work of art.
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