Viennese Floral Splendor in Beijing: The Belvedere Celebrates a Diplomatic Milestone with Klimt and Schiele
To mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Austria and China, the Belvedere in Vienna is presenting a high-profile exhibition at the Beijing World Art Museum. Under the title “Blooming Hearts Through Centuries,” 60 masterpieces of floral painting are traveling to Asia.
The exhibition "Blooming Hearts Through Centuries" in Beijing World Art celebrates the evolution of artistic expression over time. / Picture: © © Beijing World Art Museum
Flowers have always been regarded as a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. Vienna’s Belvedere is now harnessing this unifying power for a major cultural and political statement in China: Through September 19, 2026, the Austrian National Collection will be on display at the renowned Beijing World Art Museum with the comprehensive exhibition “Blooming Hearts Through Centuries. From Waldmüller to Klimt. Floral Masterpieces from the Belvedere, Vienna”.
The timing of the exhibition is no coincidence. It marks the cultural highlight of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Austria and the People’s Republic of China (officially sealed in 1971).
A ceremonial bridge-building
The grand opening on June 12 underscored the political and cultural significance of the project. In addition to the Director General of the Belvedere, Stella Rollig, the Austrian Ambassador to Beijing, H.E. Wolf Dietrich Heim, as well as high-ranking representatives of the Chinese cultural administration and the partner museum were in attendance. Even in the run-up to the event, the exhibition generated enormous buzz in the Chinese media.
“It is a great honor for us to present this exhibition in China,” emphasizes Director General Stella Rollig. “With this exhibition, we invite the public in Beijing to discover the beauty and diversity of the Belvedere’s art.”
From Botany to Modernism
Curated by Franz Smola (Belvedere) and Chao Zhang (MuseRoam Art Limited), the exhibition traces the evolution of Austrian art through a seemingly simple yet highly symbolic motif: the flower. A total of 60 masterpieces by 35 artists have made the journey to Beijing.
This art-historical journey spans a broad arc from the precise botanical depictions of the 18th century, through the emotional depth and intimacy of the Biedermeier period, to the revolutionary, avant-garde breaks of Viennese Modernism around 1900.
Among the absolute highlights of the exhibition are key works of Austrian identity: Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller’s meticulously detailed “Still Life with Fruit, Flowers, and a Silver Cup,” Gustav Klimt’s atmospheric masterpiece “After the Rain,” and Egon Schiele’s symbol-laden “Sunflowers I.” This offers Chinese and international audiences in Beijing a rare opportunity to experience these icons of the Viennese turn of the century up close outside of Europe.