When the Secession Pavilion was built by Josef Maria Olbrich in 1898, it represented a brutal intrusion of avant-garde into the blue sky of triumphant historicism. This enormous white cube with a dome composed of 3,000 golden laurel leaves was perceived as provocation. However, it was to lead Vienna into the age of modernity. Since 1986, it has housed Gustave Klimt's dazzling Beethoven Frieze, illustrating the various themes of the 9th Symphony.