In the years around 1900, the multi-ethnic realm of the Habsburg Monarchy experienced a lively exchange of art and culture between Vienna, its center, and the main cities of the Crown lands such as Zagreb. For the development of Croatian art around the turn of the century, this exchange was very significant.

In the exhibition, the connections and points of reference at the start of the twentieth century are presented by key works of Austrian and Croatian artists of that period.
Artists and architects who were trained in Vienna brought the new trends in art to Zagreb and, within 20 years, the overall character of cultural life at the time was fundamentally changed.