“Truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow and burn.”
... Gustav Klimt
Anyone who reads this blog knows that the Neue Galerie NY is one of my most-loved museums in the world, and that Gustav Klimt is one of my favorite early 20th century
artists. I have spent many an hour staring at the luminous and much-storied
Adele Bloch-Bauer I, the saga of whose recovery from Nazi looting was recounted in the 2015 film "Woman in Gold". The iconic painting has now found a permanent
home at the Neue Galerie NY, thanks to the persistence of Bloch-Bauer's niece
Maria Altmann, and the generosity of Ronald S. Lauder, the heirs of the Estates of
Ferdinand and Adele Bloch-Bauer, and the Estée Lauder Fund.
home at the Neue Galerie NY, thanks to the persistence of Bloch-Bauer's niece
Maria Altmann, and the generosity of Ronald S. Lauder, the heirs of the Estates of
Ferdinand and Adele Bloch-Bauer, and the Estée Lauder Fund.
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907
Gold, silver, and oil on canvas
Gold, silver, and oil on canvas
I am very pleased to let my readers know that a new exhibition of Klimt's work,
Women of Vienna's Golden Age, 1900-1918 will open at Neue Galerie NY
on September 22, 2016. The show will put into a broader context Klimt's
fascination with the sensuality of women, and the way in which they embodied the
spirit of fin de siècle Vienna, at that time the center of the art world.
° ° ° ° ° ° °
The two ethereal paintings below represent some of Klimt's earliest portrait art, in which the influences of Symbolism and the Pre-Raphaelite movement are evident.
Klimt (1862-1918) is considered a pivotal figure in the cultural life of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Vienna, and provided a vital link
between nineteenth-century Symbolism and the beginning of Modernism.
Portrait of Szerena Lederer, 1899
Lederer was a Vienna socialite who built up the most important Klimt collection of her era.
Portrait of Gertha Loew, 1902
This lovely painting of 19-year-old Gerta, swathed in white gossamer,
was also looted by the Nazis, but also was eventually recovered
and returned to the subject's daughter.
° ° ° ° ° ° °
Moving into the the early decades of the 20th century,
Klimt's portraits become much more lively, colorful,
and almost Fauve-like.
Portrait of Mäda Primavesi, 1912
Mäda Primavesi was, by her own account, "an independent, assertive young girl",
qualities captured in this portrait of her at about nine years old. The image
attests to the sophisticated taste of her parents, banker and industrialist
Otto Primavesi and his wife Eugenia,
ardent supporters of progressive Viennese art and design.
Mäda Primavesi was, by her own account, "an independent, assertive young girl",
qualities captured in this portrait of her at about nine years old. The image
attests to the sophisticated taste of her parents, banker and industrialist
Otto Primavesi and his wife Eugenia,
ardent supporters of progressive Viennese art and design.
Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, 1914-1916
Elisabeth was the daughter of August and Serena Lederer, Klimt's most important patrons.
The family's collection eventually grew to include fifteen canvases by the artist.
Serena, whose portrait Klimt later painted, was described by many
as "the best-dressed woman in Vienna."
Elisabeth was the daughter of August and Serena Lederer, Klimt's most important patrons.
The family's collection eventually grew to include fifteen canvases by the artist.
Serena, whose portrait Klimt later painted, was described by many
as "the best-dressed woman in Vienna."
Portrait of Ria Munk III, 1917
This painting is the third and final in a series of three portraits commissioned by the Munk family of their daughter Ria. It is one of the last and most modern of Klimt’s full-length female portraits, and offers a glimpse into the artist's evovling style. The lavishly
decorated background draws on his passion for Eastern art and
iconography of which he was an avid collector.
This painting is the third and final in a series of three portraits commissioned by the Munk family of their daughter Ria. It is one of the last and most modern of Klimt’s full-length female portraits, and offers a glimpse into the artist's evovling style. The lavishly
decorated background draws on his passion for Eastern art and
iconography of which he was an avid collector.
° ° ° ° ° ° °
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II, 1907
According to curatorial notes,
"The exhibition will include approximately
12 paintings, 40 drawings, 40 works of
decorative art, and vintage photographs
of Klimt, drawn from public and private
collections worldwide. Central to the
exhibition will be the display of Portrait of
Adele Bloch-Bauer I and Portrait of Adele
Bloch-Bauer II, which will be shown side-
by-side for the first time since 2006."
12 paintings, 40 drawings, 40 works of
decorative art, and vintage photographs
of Klimt, drawn from public and private
collections worldwide. Central to the
exhibition will be the display of Portrait of
Adele Bloch-Bauer I and Portrait of Adele
Bloch-Bauer II, which will be shown side-
by-side for the first time since 2006."
Much more to come -- hats, aesthetic fashion, Klimt's muse Emilie Flöge ♥ --
after I've seen the show!
"Whoever wants to know something about me – as an artist which alone is
significant –
they should look attentively at my pictures and there seek
to recognize
what I am and what I want."
... Gustav Klimt
~ oOo ~
.
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