I made a return visit to the Secession building whilst in Vienna, and it was just as impressive as the last time I visited it (here), perhaps even more so, as the gilded facade and splendid foliate dome glistened magnificently in the winter sunshine. There were no exhibitions of contemporary art on display this time however, just the downstairs space dedicated to displaying the history of the Secession group and the building, and also the room containing Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze which was as dreamy as ever.
The only new addition to the building since my last visit was the restoration of one of the original decorative plaster panels of athletic looking maidens on the exterior of the building (below). It was a design created in 1898 by artist Koloman Moser, and was part of a plan in 2018 to fully restore the Secession building to its original state. It was good to see the characterful trios of wise owls still in place guarding the building and keeping a watchful eye on visitors too.
The Secession Building Friedrichstaße 12 1010 Vienna
