Rediscovering Art Through Technology
The exhibition „Gustav Klimt. Pigment & Pixel“ at the Belvedere Vienna combines art and technology, offering new insights into Klimt’s painting techniques. checkpointmedia developed the exhibition design, where originals, technological analyses, and digital reconstructions are presented in three sections. The first section focuses on scientific analysis. Radiological examinations reveal hidden details beneath Klimt’s layers of paint. Transparent image carriers and cool blue lighting evoke the atmosphere of a laboratory and the precision of modern analytical methods. Another room is dedicated to Klimt’s legendary gold tones. The exhibition explores how he applied gold leaf to his canvases and the techniques he used. Centered around the iconic painting „Judith I“, the space creates the feeling of a treasure chamber, making Klimt’s gilding techniques tangible.
The digital reconstructions of the three Faculty Paintings, lost in 1945, presented a particular design challenge. Originally intended for the ceiling of the Great Hall at the University of Vienna, the paintings were never installed. In collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, their original colours were reconstructed using artificial intelligence. The images are suspended from the ceiling, while a mirrored table allows visitors to experience them in reflection, as they would have appeared in their intended setting. The final section highlights Klimt’s nature depictions. Reproductions of his floral motifs line the walls, leading the eye to the adjacent garden—a direct connection between Klimt’s artistic inspiration and the natural world.
