Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) completed his monumental painting Medicine around 1900.
Originally commissioned by the Ministry of Education as one of its Faculty Paintings for the ceiling of the University of Vienna, it never actually made it to its intended location due to the heavy criticism of the pictures from the ministry and the university, as well as the public at large.
After being looted by the National Socialists, the Faculty Paintings were lost forever in a fire in May 1945, with only sketches and black and white photographs left behind. Only the details of the colours used for the striking red and gold figure of Hygieia are known.
With the help of artificial intelligence, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere and Google Art & Culture were able to reconstruct the palette used in Klimt’s Faculty Paintings in their Klimt versus Klimt project. The result of this reconstruction will be visible on the facade of the Anna Spiegel research building on the MedUni Vienna General Hospital campus.
The unveiling took place on Wednesday, 13 November 2024 at 11 a.m. and wasperformed by
- Michael Ludwig, Mayor of the City of Vienna
- Markus Müller, Rector of the Medical University of Vienna
- Stella Rollig, General Director and Scientific Managing Director Belvedere
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