An Austrian art gallery is encouraging visitors to confront their sexual inhibitions by making them walk through a swingers club to reach an exhibition.

The Secession in Vienna has temporarily incorporated a sex club named "Element6" as part of a Gustav Klimt project by Swiss artist Christoph Buechel.

The swingers are not there during the day, but their mattresses, erotic pictures, bar and whirlpool are.

A gallery spokeswoman said Buechel hoped to spark a stir reminiscent of the scandal Klimt caused when his "Beethoven Frieze" was first exhibited in 1902. Now considered one of the Austrian painter's key pieces, it was once thought of as obscene and pornographic because of the way women's bodies were depicted.

The painting shows three mostly naked women, one very pregnant with large breasts and the other two covered only by their long flowing tresses.

While the club only opens at night long after the art hall closes, daytime visitors aged 18 and older pass through its dimly lit rooms on their way to see the Klimt painting.

The room where the frieze is exhibited is locked at night for security reasons. But it too has its share of mattresses, surrounded by fake tropical plants and a life-size stuffed lion.

Buechel declined to comment on his project, but the club, normally located in another part of town, said its participation "aims to give as many people as possible the opportunity to overcome their inhibitions."

"In the framework of this exhibition at the Secession, each individual can test for himself or herself whether this opens up new dimensions for his or her own sexuality," it said.