Artist's Quote: "I have the gift of neither the spoken nor the written word, especially if I have to say something about myself or my work.... Whoever wants to know something about me ought to look carefully at my pictures and try to see in them what I am and what I want to do.” Achievements: In 1911 his painting Death and Life received first prize in the world exhibitions in Rome. Klimt's paintings have brought some of the highest prices recorded for individual works of art. In November 2003, Klimt's Landhaus am Attersee sold for $29,128,000, but that was soon eclipsed. In 2006 the artist's Apple Tree I (ca. 1912) sold for $33 million and Birch Forest (1903) sold for $40.3 million. Christe's Auction House auctioned Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II in November 2006 for $88 million. | About the Artist: In 1876, Klimt was enrolled in the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, where he studied until 1883. He originally wanted to be a drawing teacher. Klimt began his professional career painting interior murals and ceilings in large public buildings. Three of his most well known paintings were destroyed during the Nazi occupation of Austria because they were deemed "degenerate," and the Nazi regime disapproved of them. He was very influenced by class allegories, like ancient Greek myths and bible stories. Klimt's 'Golden Phase' utilized real gold leaf. His painting method was very deliberate and painstaking at times and he required lengthy sittings by his subjects. Klimt followed the same routine every day and was rarely seen in the midst of Viennese culture, despite the fact that he was very popular. Among the artists of the time, Klimt was the most influenced by Japanese art and its methods. He influenced many painters after him, such as Pablo Picasso and Egon Schiele. |
Sources:
https://www.klimtgallery.org/biography.html
https://www.neuegalerie.org/collection/artist-profiles/gustav-klimt
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/gustav-klimt/m03869?hl=en
https://www.klimtgallery.org/biography.html
https://www.neuegalerie.org/collection/artist-profiles/gustav-klimt
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/gustav-klimt/m03869?hl=en