Contents
Gustav Klimt
Painting The Kiss in a richly patterned field of gold.
Vienna Secession · Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I
- Born
- 14 July 1862
- Birthplace
- Baumgarten, Vienna, Austria
- Died
- 6 February 1918
More people
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter whose portraits and allegories combined decorative pattern with psychological and erotic intensity. He helped lead Vienna’s break from conservative exhibition traditions.
Early life
Craft background
His father was a gold engraver; the family often struggled financially.
Art school
Entered Vienna’s School of Arts and Crafts at fourteen.
Career
- 1880s
Decorative commissions
Worked with his brother Ernst and Franz Matsch on theatre and architectural paintings.
- 1897
Vienna Secession
Became a founding member and first president of the artists’ association.
- 1900s
Independent practice
Turned away from state commissions after controversy over university paintings.
Selected work
Beethoven Frieze
Created a large symbolic sequence for a Secession exhibition.
Adele Bloch-Bauer I
Merged a sitter’s likeness with elaborate gold ornament.
The Kiss
Depicted an embracing couple within a flattened, patterned golden space.
Beyond work
Emilie Flöge
Maintained a close, enduring relationship with the fashion designer.
Attersee summers
Regular summer visits supplied settings for many of his landscape paintings.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Josef Anton Trčka. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
