KLIMT AT VILLA FREYA
BEAUTY AND NATURE IN ART PRINTS
26 September 2026 – 24 January 2027
Villa Freya, the historic residence of the renowned English traveller and writer Freya Stark, where an atmosphere of timeless elegance still lingers, is now set to host its first exhibition dedicated to Gustav Klimt (1862–1918). The exhibition presents a remarkable collection of collotypes—fine art prints of exceptional quality and detail—alongside a carefully curated selection of issues of the art journal Ver Sacrum (1898–1903) and original drawings by the great master of the Vienna Secession.
The exhibition creates a dynamic and engaging dialogue between the elegant rooms of Villa Freya and its Archaeological and Botanical Park. Visitors are invited to explore beauty as expressed through both art and nature, embarking on a journey that begins inside the Villa with Klimt's art prints and continues through the English Romantic garden, where the restored greenhouse displays reproductions from Ver Sacrum, while centuries-old holm oaks stand alongside the remains of a 1st-century AD Roman theatre.
Route A — Villa Freya Exhibition + Archaeological and Botanical Park (online booking recommended)
Full admission: €15.00
Reduced admission: €12.00 (Asolo residents, FAI members, visitors over 65, and under 16)
Free admission: children up to 8 years old, visitors with disabilities and their accompanying person
Benefit: this ticket also entitles visitors to reduced admission to the Civic Museum.
In case of bad weather: visitors holding a validated ticket will be welcome to return and visit the park again during the exhibition period.
Route B — Archaeological and Botanical Park
Full admission: €10.00 (available on site without booking or online)
Reduced admission: €7.00 (Asolo residents, visitors over 65, under 16, holders of a ticket for the Asolo Museum Complex, and FAI members)
Free admission: children up to 8 years old, visitors with disabilities and their accompanying person.
🏛️ Scheduled Guided Tours (Exhibition + Archaeological and Botanical Park)
Available by online booking with open group participation.
Every Friday at 3:00 pm
Saturdays on 3 October, 17 October, 31 October and 14 November at 10:00 am
Duration: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes
Single fee (admission + guided tour): €22.00. Tours are guaranteed even with a small number of participants. No reduced rates are available.
Private Guided Tours (Groups or Individuals)
For enquiries, please email villafreya.asolo@gmail.com.
Route A (Exhibition + Archaeological and Botanical Park)
To request a private guided tour, please specify:
preferred date
number of participants
type of group
preferred language
number of accompanying persons
Route B (Archaeological and Botanical Park)
Visitors interested in a guided tour of the park only during the week may contact our guide Laura via WhatsApp at +39 349 5055423, specifying:
preferred date
number of participants
type of group
preferred language
number of accompanying persons
Contact
Email: villafreya.asolo@gmail.com
Telephone: +39 335 7550870
Telephone support is available only during the exhibition's opening hours.
⚠️ Visitor Regulations
For safety reasons and due to limited space, dogs are not permitted. Thank you for your understanding.
Food and drinks are not allowed.
Walking on the archaeological remains and removing flowers or stones is strictly prohibited.
Smoking is prohibited throughout the Botanical Park.
Please note:
Visitors are kindly requested to arrive at least 10 minutes before the time indicated on their ticket. As indoor spaces have limited capacity, admission to the exhibition takes place every 30 minutes and visitors will be welcomed and accompanied by exhibition staff.
Once purchased, tickets cannot be changed, cancelled or refunded.
Complimentary tickets are not available for online purchase.
Proof of eligibility for reduced or free admission must be presented to staff on the day of the visit.
Step-free access is available on the ground floor of the Villa and along the paved and gravel paths of the park.
A Journey Through Rare Masterpieces and Original Drawings
Within its historic rooms, Villa Freya houses one of the most significant collections of collotypes by the great Viennese artist. These fine art prints are historically preserved in three portfolios—Das Werk von Gustav Klimt (Hugo Heller, 1918), Gustav Klimt. Fünfundzwanzig Handzeichnungen (Gilhofer & Ranschburg, 1919), and Gustav Klimt. Eine Nachlese (Max Eisler, 1931)—offering a comprehensive view of Klimt's artistic production, including works whose originals have since been lost. The extraordinary technical mastery achieved by the Austrian printing house in producing these reproductions testifies to their exceptional artistic quality.
1. "Sacred Spring" and the Vienna Secession
The exhibition begins on the ground floor in Freya Stark's study. Here, visitors will discover a carefully curated selection of issues of Ver Sacrum, the official journal of the Association of Austrian Artists founded by Klimt in 1898. A true artistic laboratory, the magazine reveals how Klimt's graphic vision helped shape the aesthetic language of European Modernism and the Vienna Secession.
2. The Beauty of Nature
Klimt's landscape collotypes—some displayed to the public for the very first time—find their ideal counterpart in the Botanical Park surrounding the Villa. Human figures disappear entirely, allowing nature to become the undisputed protagonist, transformed into richly coloured patterns reminiscent of mosaics or embroidery that envelop the viewer.
3. The Female Universe, Eroticism and Original Drawings
On the first floor, the exhibition explores the artist's most spontaneous and expressive work through pencil and charcoal sketches celebrating the beauty and vitality of the female body.
Three exceptionally rare original works by Klimt, executed in graphite on paper, are displayed together in a dedicated room. They represent the exhibition's most authentic and sought-after expression of the artist's poetic vision.
4. Allegories of Life and Feminine Seduction
In the following rooms, the female figure becomes a universal symbol of life itself, embodying motherhood, desire and fragility within a world illuminated by gold and enriched with geometric ornamentation.
The journey continues with the magnetic charm of Klimt's celebrated portraits of Viennese high society. Here, his graphic works enter into dialogue with tactile reconstructions of the luxurious garments created by Cosmo Fashion Academy of Padua and the exquisite textiles produced by Bevilacqua.
Gustav Klimt and Freya Stark: A Dialogue Between Two Free Spirits
Gustav Klimt and Freya Stark were two independent spirits who rejected the conventions of their time and turned to the East in search of their own artistic and personal voice. While Klimt transformed Byzantine mosaics into shimmering compositions of gold on canvas, Freya explored the Ottoman Empire, capturing its light and atmosphere in her travel writings.
The free and modern woman portrayed by Klimt found a living counterpart in Freya: a fearless explorer who, like the painter, chose Oriental caftans and tunics as symbols of freedom. What ultimately unites them is their profound love of landscape—experienced by Klimt as a vibrant mosaic of colours on canvas, and by Freya as a lifelong pursuit of beauty, cultivated not least in the garden of this very Villa.
