Creator story
Surprising fact
Klimt used real gold leaf, inspired by Byzantine mosaics he saw in Ravenna; his father had been a gold engraver.
Source: Wikipedia / WikimediaSymbolism
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) led the Vienna Secession and created the shimmering, gold-leaf masterpieces of his Golden Phase. Decorative, sensual and symbolic, The Kiss is among the most reproduced paintings in the world.
Klimt fused fine art with ornament and eroticism, bridging Symbolism and the modern decorative arts.
- Founded and led the Vienna Secession, breaking from conservative academic art.
- His Golden Phase works like The Kiss glow with real gold leaf.
- His sensual Faculty Paintings for the university were attacked as pornographic and later lost to fire.
Key works
Two works that open the world of Gustav Klimt
These works make it easiest to see how the artist changed form, content, and the very way art could exist in culture.
1907-1908
The Kiss
The Kiss is an oil-on-canvas painting with added gold leaf, silver and platinum by the Austrian Symbolist painter Gustav Klimt. It was painted at some point in 1907 and 1908, during the height of what scholars call his "Golden Period".
1907
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I shows how Gustav Klimt turns the language of symbolism into a coherent painted image.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to what people most often search about this artist.
When did Gustav Klimt live?
Gustav Klimt was born in 1862 near Vienna and died in 1918. He led the Vienna Secession and became the defining painter of Austrian Art Nouveau.
Why is Gustav Klimt so famous?
Klimt was the first to combine painting with real gold leaf and ornament, creating his instantly recognisable Golden Phase. His painting The Kiss is one of the most reproduced images in the world.
What is Klimt's most famous painting?
His best-known work is The Kiss (1907–1908), showing an embracing couple wrapped in gold ornament. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is also among his most celebrated paintings.
What was Klimt's Golden Phase?
It refers to works from 1899–1910 in which Klimt covered the canvas with real gold leaf, inspired by the Byzantine mosaics he saw in Ravenna — his father had been a gold engraver.