List of paintings by Gustav Klimt

This is a list of paintings by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt (1862–1918). It is believed that Klimt painted over 200 paintings, of which over 160 are known.

List of paintings by Gustav Klimt

Early works Image Title Year Medium Location NotesKlara KlimtOil on canvas,30.3 cm × 21.3 cmLeopold MuseumKlara Klimt (1860 – 1937) was the oldest of Gustav’s six siblings and they shared an apartment with their sister Hermine until Gustav’s death in 1918. The painting shows Klara around the age of 20 and Klimt painted it while studying at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts. It is exhibited on permanent loan from a descendant of Klimt.Forest Floor1881/'82Oil on canvas,10 cm × 8 cmLeopold MuseumAllegory of Merry and Solemn Art1882/'83Distemper on canvas,, LiberecPainted in collaboration with Ernst Klimt and Franz von Matsch.Male Nude1883Oil on canvas,68 cm × 54.8 cmÖsterreichische Galerie BelvedereSitting Nude Man Turned to the Left1883Oil on canvas,46 cm × 37 cmLeopold MuseumThe painting was dated by Klimt himself, painted during his time as a student at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts.Fable or Allegory of Fable1883Oil on canvas,83.5 cm × 116 cmVienna MuseumHead Study of a Girl from HanáOil on wood,28.6 cm × 22.7 cmLeopold MuseumThis small painting is undated, however, it is presumed that it was created when Gustav Klimt was still a student.Idyll or Allegory of Idyll1884Oil on canvas,49.7 cm × 74 cmVienna MuseumThe Theatre at Taormina1886–'88Oil on marble plaster,Burgtheater north staircaseThe main ceiling panel in the Vienna Burgtheater's north staircase. This was done as part of the joint commission to help decorate the new Burgtheater, in collaboration with Ernst Klimt and Franz Matsch, who painted other works in the theatre.The Cart of Thespis1886–'88Oil on marble plaster,Burgtheater south staircasePart of the Burgtheater commission.Shakespeare's Globe Theatre1886–'88Oil on marble plaster,Burgtheater south staircasePart of the Burgtheater commission.The Altar of Dionysis1886–'88Oil on marble plaster,Burgtheater tympanum south staircaseThe last of Klimt's paintings to be completed for the Burgtheater commission.Auditorium of the Old Burgtheater1888–'89 Gouache on paper,82 cm × 92 cmVienna MuseumSapphoOil on canvas,39.4 cm × 31.7 cmVienna MuseumRepresentation of the Greek lyric poet born on the island of Lesbos. Still in the sketch stage, this painting fuses the Pre-Raphaelites' influence with the literary and dreamy symbolism of Moreau. Built on orthogonal lines, the canvas is pervaded by an allegoric mythology already present in Klimt's Burgtheater work. The detailed descriptive traits are a consequence of the period's historicism style, celebrating beauty in an atmosphere of refined archaism.Cf. Federico Zeri, "Klimt: Il percorso artistico", on Cento Dipinti. Klimt, Rizzoli (1998), pp. 44–48 & passim.

1890s Image Title Year Medium Location NotesPortrait of Joseph Pembaur1890 Oil on canvas,68.4 cm × 55.4 cmTyrolean State MuseumA realistic portrait of pianist and piano teacher, Joseph Pembaur. The photographic realism of the face generates a subtle tension with the symbolism of the stylised elements. In this period, the stylistic dilemma tormenting Klimt between historicism and symbolism is here resolved by the mediation of archaic forms, which attribute to Music, as identified by the instruments, an absolute and eternal value. Also known as Portrait of Joseph Pembauer.Portrait of Mathilde TrauOil on canvas,79 cm × 58.5 cmÖsterreichische Galerie BelvedereThe painting depicts Mathilde Trau, the wife of Franz Trau, who ran a famous tea shop in Vienna. Klimt also painted a portrait of him. In terms of format and composition, this portrait is comparable to contemporary portrait photographs. The painting technique reflects a realism similar to the aesthetics of photography. However, beginning in the mid-1890s, Klimt's artistic approach shifted towards an impressionistically influenced and more atmospheric style.Portrait of a Woman1893/'94 Oil on canvas,168 cm × 84 cmÖsterreichische Galerie BelvedereA realistic full-length portrait of a woman in a black dress and Klimt's first representative portrait of a woman. The subject is Marie Breunig, a friend and client of fashion designer Emilie Flöge, Klimt's life companion.Portrait of an unknown woman (Mrs. Heymann?)Oil on paperboard,30 cm × 23 cmVienna MuseumAn inscription names the subject as Mrs. Heymann.Seated Young GirlOil on wood,14.1 cm × 9.6 cmLeopold MuseumLove or Allegory of Love1895 Oil on canvas,62.5 cm × 46.5 cmVienna MuseumFor its evanescent rarefaction the love scene reveals its symbolist mould. The work is part of Klimt's series of Allegories and Emblems, whose intent was to translate life's most significant moments, and its psychological nuances, into forms of metaphorical intensity.Music I1895Oil on canvas,37 cm × 44.5 cmNeue PinakothekAllegoric representation of Music, which Klimt painted several times in various renderings. Besides the lyre, symbol of music, this particular canvas emphasises the sphinx (alluding to artistic freedom), the Silenus mask on the extreme left, the lion's teeth at the centre (a metaphor of the spread of new ideas), and finally the woman's meditative face.Josef Lewinsky as Carlos in Clavigo1895Oil on canvas,60 cm × 44 cmÖsterreichische Galerie BelvedereKlimt depicts the court actor Josef Lewinsky on stage, as Carlos in Clavigo, a tragedy by Goethe. The painting was commissioned as an illustration for a book on the history of Viennese theatre.Portrait of a Lady with a Purple ScarfOil on canvas,67 cm × 41 cmKunsthistorisches MuseumAlso known as Portrait of a Lady with a Lilac Scarf. The painting was in a private collection for almost a century before being bequeathed to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in 2014.The Blind ManOil on canvas,66 cm × 53 cmLeopold MuseumKlimt likely paid this man to pose for him. This work was exhibited at the first Secessionist exhibition.Portrait of an Old Man in Profile (Count Traun?)Oil on cardboard,46 cm × 35.2 cmLeopold MuseumWhile the painting's title suggests that it was a portrait commission, the identity of the subject is not known. When Klimt died, the painting was still in his possession, making it unlikely that it was commissioned by a third party. Therefore it is probable that Klimt painted this work on his own interest.Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona1897 Oil on canvas,66.5 cm × 53.5 cmPrivate collectionKlimt painted the work in 1897 after a visit to a Vienna Zoo that sometimes also held exhibitions of people. The painting disappeared when the Jewish owners, Ernestine and Felix Klein, fled to Monaco in 1938 to avoid Nazi persecution. The painting reappeared in 2023 when it was identified by the gallery.Woman in an Armchair or Lady in an Armchair1897–'98Oil on board,52 cm × 52 cmPrivate collectionPortrait of Sonja Knips1897/'98 Oil on canvas,141.5 cm × 141.5 cmÖsterreichische Galerie BelvedereThe baroness Sonja Knips was one of Klimt's most prominent clients. In this painting, Klimt chose the square format for a portrait for the first time. This portrait helped him in becoming one of the most sought-after portraitists in Viennese society at the time. With a style reminding of the Belgian artist Fernand Khnopff, Klimt paints Knips, who was active with her husband in the circle of the Wiener Werkstätte. The face's plasticity contrasts with the soft inconsistency of the fluffy dress. In this diagonal composition, the evanescence of the chair, the book's red blur, the head surrounded by flowers, all anticipate the portraits of the golden period.Lady with a Cape and Hat or Lady with Cape and Hat in Front of Red Background1897/'98Oil on canvas,30 cm × 19.5 cmKlimt Foundation ViennaLady by the Fireplace1897/'98Oil on canvas,41 cm × 66 cmÖsterreichische Galerie Belvedere(black & white image)The Music or Music II1897/'98Oil on canvas,150 cm × 200 cmN/ADestroyed by fire in 1945Portrait of Helene Klimt1898Oil on cardboard,60 cm × 40 cmPrivate collectionDepicting Klimt's six-year-old niece, whom Klimt helped look after following the death of his brother Ernst in 1892. Klimt became her legal guardian.Pallas Athena1898 Oil on canvas,75 cm × 75 cmVienna Museum Enhanced by the golden frame created by Klimt's brother, Georg, the goddess Athena is portrayed in front of a frieze borrowed from a black-figure Attic vase of the 6th century BC. The red hair comes out of the helmet so as to underscore the goddess' femininity, notwithstanding her armour. Following the example of the Munich Secession, Athena is chosen as the patron numen of the Vienna Secession.Moving Water1898Oil on canvas,52 cm × 65 cmPrivate collectionFull-Face Head of a Girl1898Oil on canvas,38 cm × 43 cmPrivate collectionOrchard in the Evening1898Oil on canvas,69 cm × 55.6 cmLeopold MuseumExhibited on permanent loan from a private Austrian collection.After the Rain or Garden with Chickens in St. Agatha1898Oil on canvas,80 cm × 40 cmÖsterreichische Galerie BelvedereIn August 1898, Klimt spent his first summer in the Salzkammergut, staying in St. Agatha near Lake Hallstatt with the Flöge family. There, he painted four landscapes, including After the Rain. These works already show the influence of French Impressionism through soft, fleeting brushwork, as well as inspiration from Japanese woodcuts. After the Rain became Klimt’s first work to enter a public collection in 1900. The oblong format and the particular photographic style affirm their Japanese derivation. The rainy mist enveloping the whole, as well as the ornamental interpretation of every element, recall Whistler's evanescent landscapes.Cf. Stanley Weintraub, Whistler: A Biography, Weybright and Talley (1974).Girl in the FoliageOil on canvas,32.4 cm × 24 cmKlimt Foundation ViennaFull-Face Portrait of a LadyOil on cardboard,45 cm × 34 cmPrivate collectionSchubert at the Piano1899Oil on canvas,150 cm × 200 cmN/ADestroyed by fire in 1945. Critic and writer Hermann Bahr (1863–1934) wrote: "Klimt's Schubert is the finest painting ever done by an Austrian". The painting was destroyed by retreating German forces in 1945.Serena Pulitzer Lederer1899Oil on canvas,190.8 cm × 85.4 cmMetropolitan Museum of ArtNuda Veritas1899 Oil on canvas,252 cm × 56.2 cmAustrian Theatre MuseumThe frame's upper margin quotes a verse by Schiller, indicating, in its difficult consensus, a distinctive sign of quality: "If you can't please everyone with your deeds and your art – please only a few. To please many is bad. Schiller." Aim of this quote is to incite the Vienna Secession to action. Another version of this work exists as an etching for the magazine Ver Sacrum. The mirror held by Veritas is a modern invitation to "Know yourself", whereas the flowers are symbols of regeneration.A Morning by the Pond, Still Pond or Reflection1899Oil on canvas,75.2 cm × 75.2 cmLeopold MuseumKlimt's first square landscape it was painted in Eglsee during a summer with the Flöge family in Golling. The painting’s style is reminiscent of Monet’s atmospheric landscapes.Water Nymphs (Silver Fish) or MermaidsOil on canvas,82 cm × 52 cmBank Austria KunstforumIt portrays two submerged figures devoid of bodies or limbs, instead composed of heads and long, black hair. This unconventional depiction challenges typical mermaid imagery with a disturbing variation and takes hair fetishism to its extreme, producing sex objects with no limbs, bodies or even sex organs. Their simple form is open to a range of interpretations: from severed heads in mythology to cherubic figures or the serpent of Eden. Klimt combines a range of archetypal themes and delivers a sensation of unease.

1900s