In 1897, the conservative wing and its progressive counterpart around Gustav Klimt got into a fight in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. The painter, today the epitome of Art Nouveau with works such as “The Kiss”, and his comrades-in-arms left the association and founded the Secession – the rest is history.
Now the Albertina modern, which moved into the newly renovated building in 2020, is showing 98 drawings by Klimt right there. Would the Master turn in his grave at this return? “I’m not sure how he would rate that,” admits Albertina boss Klaus Albrecht Schröder – to add a superlative immediately: “It’s Klimt’s first solo exhibition in the house.”
“Walk with Klimt”
On display are 98 of the 212 Klimt drawings from the Albertina collection. Curator Elisabeth Dutz wants to show examples from all creative periods: “The exhibition is like taking a walk with Klimt through his life.” She has been researching the painter for ten years. The fact that his drawings are also in demand is shown by the 1914/15 “Lying Girl Nude to the Left”: It was sold in London in 2008 for more than 500,000 pounds.
Although this picture cannot be seen here, the Albertina modern also shows numerous nudes. His pictures, which were unusually candid for the turn of the century, were to have a lasting influence on the art world. Not only did he bring hitherto unpresentable things to the canvas, such as women masturbating, but he also showed the figures from unusual perspectives. The woman in the “Reclining Half-Nude” (1914/15) appears completely relaxed, while her dressing gown opens around her abdomen. A few strokes that show a lot without being voyeuristic.
The early works, which the gifted draftsman executed almost photo-realistically, were quite different, such as the “Man in Three-Quarter View”, who looks scrutinizingly and optimistically into the distance. In addition to this study for the ceiling paintings in the Burgtheater, designs for faculty paintings for the University of Vienna, the Beethoven Frieze and portraits of ladies from Viennese society can also be seen.
Source: Nachrichten
