With the exhibition dedicated to Gustav Klimt's masterpiece, The Three Ages (1905), exceptionally loaned by the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, a new exhibition cycle of the National Gallery of Umbria is inaugurated: A Masterpiece in Perugia. 

During the summer, the museum offers its audience the opportunity to admire and deeply understand a work of particular importance in the journey of a famous artist, accompanied by a selection of works by other contemporary authors, in order to illustrate the era of its creation, the historical-cultural context, and the themes addressed. In the case of Klimt, Galileo Chini will introduce him, with some drawings, paintings, and ceramics inspired by the style of the Viennese master on display.

At the beginning of the exhibition, visitors can immerse themselves in Klimt's world thanks to a virtual room - created with the contribution of the Perugia Foundation - where the artist's major paintings are illustrated, and The Three Ages is described in detail before being able to observe it in person.

The exhibition setup recalls the taste of the Viennese Secession of which Gustav Klimt was one of the founders. The white stereometric volume of the portal with geometric decorations, the walls with a diamond motif, the dark baseboards outlining the showcases refer to the Austrian pavilion by Josef Hoffman for the International Exhibition of Fine Arts in Rome in 1911, while the use of the unmistakable golden curvilinear typographic style recalls VER SACRUM, the secessionist magazine whose iconic title is displayed in golden characters at the entrance of the Olbrich Secession building in Vienna.

Passing through the portal is therefore equivalent to crossing an ideal stargate that leads the visitor to admire Klimt's work in an "analogous environment" in atmosphere and suggestions to that of the 1910 Venice Biennale, where the masterpiece The Three Ages was exhibited, and the 1911 International Exhibition of Rome which also immortalized Klimt's fame in Italy.