Gustav Klimt's Masterpieces Get a 21st-Century Makeover at Paris's First Digital Fine Arts Museum

Paris' first digital art museum is taking the paintings of Gustav Klimt out of their frames (so to speak) and projecting them onto the walls in its inaugural exhibit.

The museum, called the Atelier des Lumières, moved into a warehouse-like former foundry building in the 11th arrondissement last April and opened the exhibition, titled simply "Gustav Klimt." Works by the titular 20th century painter as well as other major Viennese artists including Egon Schiele and Friedensreich Hundertwasser light up walls that reach a height of 10 meters (approximately 33 feet), per Dezeen. Visitors will hear a soundtrack that includes Wagner, Beethoven, and Chopin courtesy of a 50-speaker sound system. The exhibit coincides with the 100th anniversary of the deaths of Klimt and Schiele.

Atelier des Lumières' unorthodox art space and use of digital technology aims to reach an audience of people who don't usually go to museums. "It allows visitors to discover art from a new angle and through immersive experiences. We combine classical art and digital art—I am convinced that the marriage of art and digital technology is the future of the dissemination of art among future generations," museum director Michael Couzigou told Dezeen. "This approach is not intended to replace museums but is a complementary approach to art," he reassures museum-lovers.

Head to Atelier des Lumières before the exhibit closes on January 6, 2019 to enjoy an afternoon spent immersed in the lively colors and golden patterns of Klimt's oeuvre.