Gustav Klimt

Austrian, 1862–1918

19k followers

Gustav Klimt

Bio

Austrian, 1862–1918

Followers
19k
Biography

Gustav Klimt is best known for his opulently gilded art nouveau portraits of women that epitomize fin-de-siècle Vienna. His Symbolist pastiches of pale nudes, allegorical gardens and erotic content served as the basis for many American psychedelic poster designs in the 1960s. Early in his career, Klimt was supported generously by the Viennese community, and received several commissions for murals in theaters and the Museum Kunsthistorisches. Early narrative paintings depicted heavy subjects such as anxiety, doubt, sexuality, and death, but in later years, he turned toward landscape painting, exploring light and abstract patterns of nature. His most famous paintings are The Kiss (1907) and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (1907), which sold for a record auction price of more than 100 million dollars in 2006.

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Career Highlights
Learn more about artist insights.
Auction
High auction record
$79m, Christie's, 2006
User
Solo show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 1 more
Group
Group show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 8 more
Institution
Collected by a major institution
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 1 more
Publication
Reviewed by a major art publication
Artforum, and 2 more
Fair
Included in a major biennial
Venice Biennale National Pavilion, and 2 more
Biography

Gustav Klimt is best known for his opulently gilded art nouveau portraits of women that epitomize fin-de-siècle Vienna. His Symbolist pastiches of pale nudes, allegorical gardens and erotic content served as the basis for many American psychedelic poster designs in the 1960s. Early in his career, Klimt was supported generously by the Viennese community, and received several commissions for murals in theaters and the Museum Kunsthistorisches. Early narrative paintings depicted heavy subjects such as anxiety, doubt, sexuality, and death, but in later years, he turned toward landscape painting, exploring light and abstract patterns of nature. His most famous paintings are The Kiss (1907) and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (1907), which sold for a record auction price of more than 100 million dollars in 2006.

Career Highlights
Learn more about artist insights.
Auction
High auction record
$79m, Christie's, 2006
User
Solo show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 1 more
Group
Group show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 8 more
Institution
Collected by a major institution
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 1 more
Publication
Reviewed by a major art publication
Artforum, and 2 more
Fair
Included in a major biennial
Venice Biennale National Pavilion, and 2 more
Articles Featuring Gustav Klimt
Klimt’s Iconic “Kiss” Sparked a Sexual Revolution in Art
May 8th, 2019
Klimt’s Iconic “Kiss” Sparked a Sexual Revolution in Art
What You Need to Know about Gustav Klimt
Mar 26th, 2018
What You Need to Know about Gustav Klimt
A Brief History of Gold in Art, from Ancient Egyptian Burial Masks to Jeff Koons
Oct 19th, 2017
A Brief History of Gold in Art, from Ancient Egyptian Burial Masks to Jeff Koons
Why This Gustav Klimt Landscape Is Likely to Set a New Record
Feb 23rd, 2017
Why This Gustav Klimt Landscape Is Likely to Set a New Record
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