1862-1918

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter, member of the Art Nouveau movement and co-founder of the Viennese Secession in 1897. Klimt is famous for his signature usage of gold that defines his individual technique as an artist, and daring attention to the female body. Many of Klimt’s work are distinguished by his use of spirals and swirls that secretly conceal a controversial reflection on human and especially female sexuality. He was also inspired by the art of Egyptian, Classical Greek and Byzantine civilizations that added a diverse, eclectic touch to his work. Some of Gustav Klimt’s most unconventional but original masterpieces include Adele Bloch- Bauer I (1907) The Kiss (1907/08) and Mäda Primavesi (1912). After his death, 14 people all claimed to be his biological children.