Gustav Klimt

Lore & Background

Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna, on 14 July 1862, the second of seven children. His father was a gold engraver, and the family lived in poverty, moving frequently. Klimt showed early artistic talent and at age fourteen entered the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule, where he studied architectural painting until 1883. He began his career painting interior murals and ceilings in public buildings, working with his brother Ernst and friend Franz von Matsch as the 'Company of Artists.' Their commissions included decorations for the Burgtheater in Vienna, for which Klimt received the Gold Cross of Merit from Emperor Franz Joseph I.

After the deaths of his father and brother in 1892, Klimt's style shifted toward a more personal, symbolic approach. In 1897, he became a founding member and president of the Vienna Secession. His paintings for the University of Vienna ceiling, completed around 1900, were criticized as pornographic, leading him to accept no further public commissions. He then entered his 'golden phase,' using gold leaf in works such as The Kiss. Klimt's work influenced his younger peer Egon Schiele. He died in 1918 from a stroke and pneumonia.

Reader's Guide

Gustav Klimt's significance lies in his role as a central figure of the Vienna Secession and his contribution to the Art Nouveau style. His work, particularly his frank eroticism and use of gold leaf, challenged conventional artistic norms of his time. The controversy over his University of Vienna ceiling paintings marked a turning point, after which he focused on private commissions, producing iconic works like The Kiss and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. Klimt's influence extended to younger artists such as Egon Schiele. Since his death, his paintings have achieved some of the highest auction prices for individual works of art. His legacy endures as a defining force in early modern European art, blending symbolism, ornamentation, and a bold exploration of the female form.

Did You Know?

• Klimt was the most influenced by Japanese art among the artists of the Vienna Secession.
• He fathered numerous children, though the exact number is not definitively established; after his death, recognized paternity claims involved four children.
• His paintings for the University of Vienna ceiling were destroyed when retreating German forces burned Schloss Immendorf in May 1945.
• Klimt designed many costumes that Emilie Louise Flöge produced and modeled in his works.