the Vienna Secession museum

Last weekend, Georg and I visited the Secession museum. The museum is a product of the Secession movement, which was formed by a group of Viennese artists around the turn of the 20th century. The president of the Secession artists was Gustav Klimt, one of Vienna's most famous artists. According to my little Vienna tour guide book, the Secession artists objected to the prevailing conservatism of the Vienna Künstlerhaus with its traditional orientation toward historicism. The museum showcased the artwork of the Secession artists, and serves as a sort of monument to artistic freedom in general.The inscription above the museum contains very simple words, but was almost impossible for me to translate into English because it's written in this awkward, poetic way. I needed Georg's help! Loosely translated, it reads, "To each time its art, to each art its freedom."

Apparently the Viennese are fond of calling this structure "the golden cabbage."
The hair of the Medusae forms reptiles!
Small turtles form "feet" at the base of a huge mosaic pot in front of the muesum.
I was sort of disappointed in the quality of the exhibits at the museum. It has one very interesting and very famous permanent work which is showcased in the basement, Klimt's Beethoven Frieze. But the other exhibits were kind of....lame. One was a butterfly exhibit featuring a single butterfly on a fake flower bouquet, which, as you can see, was pretty, but a bit underwhelming.
This was another little exhibit...various deli meats encased in layers of glass.