Book Description

A rich survey of the life and work of one of the mostintriguing artists of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews (3)

The Epitome of the Fin de Siècle in Vienna
Gustav Klimt (1862 - 1918), while popular and admired in his time, suffered a period of being regarded as the King of Kitsch for many years after his death. It has only been in the past half century (and especially now) that his contribution to the art world is being recognized and appreciated. His paintings are highly prized, are cause célèbre in their movement from collection to collection, and his influence on modern art and the birth of the decorative arts (especially Art Deco) is unchallenged.

This extraordinary book GUSTAV KLIMT: THE RONALD S. LAUDER AND SERGE SABARSKY COLLECTIONS is now the definitive work on the strange man who introduced the Secession, a movement that hoped to create a new style that would depart from historical influence and stir in the influence of Sigmund Freud. Klimt, whose shimmering paintings incorporated gold leaf and sensuous nude women in 'scandalous poses',brought Vienna to its feet to recognize the works of the French Impressionists.The book is not only a compendium of lush illustrations of his photographs, drawings, and paintings, but it is also a fine history of all of the elements that Klimt incorporated into his work and his inevitable influence in history.

The writings in the book are not dry pages of overused history: here are essays by some brilliant writers and historians such as Alessandra Comini, Ronald Lauder, Renee Price, Janis Staggs and others, each of whom takes a special aspect of Klimt's work and life and polishes the information with some first revelations of unknown notebooks and images. In this collection of drawings are little known works of nude women satisfying themselves that show the mutual influences of Klimt and Egon Schiele! But the final glory of the book is the very large collection of Klimt's output.It will be a while before any other volume can match this one for visual and intellectual interest.Highly Recommended.Grady Harp, December 07

Klimt and his patrons
This is the catalogue for the current Klimt show at the Neue Galerie in NY. All the works belong to the two founding collections of themuseum and most of them are drawings, which allows an irreplaceable insight into the artist's working method. The illustations are of a very high quality and the book is a treasure trove of information on Klimt's early Austrian collectors (mostly Jewish,which accounts for their tragic fate during WWII), and the subsequent "discovery" of Klimt by American collectors, thanks to some courageous dealers like Otto Kallir, owner of the gallery Saint-Etienne in New York. The book also dwells on the much commented recent acquisition of Klimt's famous painting "Adele Bloch-Bauer", which is the centerpiece of the exhibition, and on its importance in the artist's oeuvre. Without being a retrospective, this book, through its many top-quality illustrations and thorough studies of various aspects of Klimt's oeuvre, is a must-have for any art lover, even if some may wonder if the artist is really the top-tier painter that the Neue Galerie makes him out to be: isn't Klimt's art sometimes too decorative (especially when compared to Egon Schiele's)?

What a wonderful book
Although there are few paintings in the collection itself (mainly drawings), a large number of paintings are actually represented in the book to illustrate essays on Klimt's most important patrons and muses (some of which I had not seen in reproduction before) - these form about half the book, with interviews, contemporary documents, letters and photographs - I found this section the most interesting - there are also good essays on his background and his relationships to other artists, contemporary reception of his work, and his inspirations (especially fascinating were the visual comparisons of his drawings of nudes to the work of a contemporary erotic photographer, where the similarities are too many and complex to be put down to pure coincidence). Most poignant is the essay on three of the most prominent Jewish families of the period who were major collectors of Klimt's work - the Lederers, the Bloch-Bauers, and the Zuckerkandls, based on a mind-boggling 193 references. These families began the century at the pinnacle of contemporary society, and were at the centre of Vienna's cultural life; their stories make for harrowing reading - for example, Elizabeth Bachofen-Echt, the daughter of Adele Bloch-Bauer, survived the Third Reich by claiming that she was Klimt's illegitimate daughter and therefore of mixed race - and are worth the price of the book in themselves. Layout and reproductions are superb, as is the general quality of the book. A joy to the eye and definately one of the best art books on the market. ... Read more

Book Description
While Klimt is largely revered for his opulent, symbol-laden portraits of the Viennese bourgeoisie, these works were just one aspect of his artistic expression. His landscapes represent an important facet of his career and are a valuable contribution to the school of European nature painting. For many years the artist traveled to the Austrian and Italian countryside during the summer, where he took advantage of the extraordinary light and spectacular hues to paint and sketch landscapes. Among the most exquisite of Klimt's landscapes are those in which he experimented with composition and style. Accompanied by scholarly essays, the images reproduced in this book comprise all extant landscapes from this brilliant artist, proving that his mastery extends beyond portraiture and revealing themes that appeared throughout his life's work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Klimt for Klimt
Klimt has always been a problematic artist.In contemporary terms, he was a sell-out, but that hardly addresses the situation of a man good with the brushes a hundred years ago trying to make a bit more than a decent living for himself.That was the Nouveau years.The panels and friezes and commissions, the society portraits, the weird freaky paintings with all the gold paint.The man had great talent, and there's that reason that to this day you can buy prints and posters and postcards of his most famous paintings.I happen to own a "Die Kusse" night-light.

It is terribly refreshing to own a volume dedicated to the man's landscapes.For the most part, these were paintings Klimt did for himself while vacationing with his friends in the summer months.They were not meant for sale.Often they were done in an audacious--for the time--square format.A few of the canvases are pretty tedious.But a great number are inspiring and terribly original.It's great to see the lot collected, and well-worth the look, not to mention purchase.

highly recommended
Klimt seems to be best known for his figuratives - any study of his work should include his landscapes. A very nice book with good color plates.

Gustav Klimt: Landscapes
It is a pleasure to have access to these beautiful works, which are more frequently overshadowed by the attention given to images of people and mythic figures for which Klimt is best known. These landscapes are revealing of both the subject matter and of Klimt the artist as he probed the composition and colors of the places that intrigued him. ... Read more

Book Description
The best of Klimt's drawings and watercolors, beautifully reproduced in full color.

There is no doubt about Gustav Klimt's greatness as a draftsman. Remarkable above all is the intensely sensual mood that he establishes in his limpid, fluid drawings and watercolors: the pencil or crayon line with which his subjects are described explores and caresses as though the act of drawing was itself a seduction. Klimt's drawings are often highly erotic and explicit, many to such an extent that they have rarely been reproduced. This has made for an unbalanced representation of his work as a draftsman, and a comprehensive survey of his graphic output is long overdue.

Rainer Metzger, a noted art historian, has brought together hundreds of Klimt's drawings and watercolors in a way that enriches our knowledge of the artist and enhances the visual impact of his oeuvre. Klimt's drawings and studies, and his elegantly direct and dangerously intoxicating preparatory sketches, reveal the underlying impetus for and structure of his elaborate canvases. 307 color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Deep in the senses
Wonderful. Quick, immediate, and from the heart - or some other organ of animal intensity. Despite the title, there aren't so many watercolors, nearly none. The drawings are superb, though.

Klimt was an intense sensualist. He was often photographed in a floor-length painter's smock, probably wearing nothing underneath. Also, he was commonly seen in his studio amid models not just nude but naked, in intimate and revealing poses, often in couples and more-somes. Add in the fact that Klimt acknowledged three children out of wedlock, and posthumously faced claims of fourteen more. He was clearly a man profoundly moved by female beauty. His life ouvre of painting shows that.

Thousands of his drawings are available to scholars, but the few hundred here show Klimt's passion even more clearly than his lush paintings ever did. Some are studies for his well-known paintings; he was known to do hundreds in preparation for major works. Other sketches can also be traced to known paintings, though with less certainty. Still others are too vividly sensual to have been shown in his own time.

The author includes helpful and revealing biographical notes, largely at the beginning and end of the thick book. I must caution readers with eyes aging like mine are - although the lines of type have wide, airy spacing and low x-height, the text itself looks like 8-point or smaller. Some readers will be so physically uncomfortable from eyestrain that they will lose all the value, or at least enjoyment in those written words. Dear author and publisher: check the book's layout with graying readers before committing it to type, I beg you.

Outside of that, the physical presentation is impeccable. The book is thick, as I said, but that is largely due to the heavy, bright, opaque stock on which the pages are printed - it's a 400 page book with 600 page bulk. I am not criticizing. That quality of paper takes the fine detail of the reproduced drawings beautifully, without glare, and without showing through from the back. It looks and feels luxurious. The book's rich physical sense perfectly complements its visual sensuality. I recommend this book very highly, whether your interest is in Klimt, in arts related to Nouveau, or in simply womanly beauty.

//wiredweird

slightly disappointed
I love the drawing style of Klimt and Schiele but the overall experience was spoilt by he poor text typeface and the miniscule point size.Buy it for the pictures, not the words! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Fantastic
This is a wonderful book for anyone who would like to experience Klimt. I found it very inspirational and completed several study sketches using this book.

The simplistic beauty of a continual line
Gustav Klimt is amazing. I love his work and I have most recently become more intrigued by his ideas and sketches.If you like Klimt, check out Auguste Rodin, and Egon Schiele also.They all have similar sketch stylizes and imagery. I am an art major and I specialize in painting portraits, so Klimt's sketches are a natural way for me to go.I love his work so I loved this book but as another reviewer stated, the images were too light.The drawings were awfully faint and on gray paper, I would have liked them to be printed darker or at least on white paper.Also there were a lot of his major sketches for his masterpieces missing that I've found in other books.Over all it's a very good book for a nice price.

ga ga for gustav
this is an amazing book! as an amateur graphic artist, this has been an invaluable reference and inspiration to me. all of the drawings are of figures, mostly women, mostly naked. they were largely done without direction to his models while they lounged around his loft so they are very intimate, sensual, and sometimes erotic.
his style is so lucid, i can stare at the images forever. the line is so smooth and light(usually pencil, sometimes charcoal), that the images seem like stencils. the body is basically a contour drawing and then the hair is captured in typical art nouveau style, with stylized strands moving in one direction.
i can't say enough about this book. the work is so simple and stunning...when i try to relate what it means to me, i can't think of a thing to say.

ga ga for gustav
this is an amazing book! as an amateur graphic artist, this has been an invaluable reference and inspiration to me. all of the drawings are of figures, mostly women, mostly naked. they were largely done without direction to his models while they lounged around his loft so they are very intimate, sensual, and sometimes erotic.
his style is so lucid, i can stare at the images forever. the line is so smooth and light(usually pencil, sometimes charcoal), that the images seem like stencils. the body is basically a contour drawing and then the hair is captured in typical art nouveau style, with stylized strands moving in one direction.
i can't say enough about this book. the work is so simple and stunning...when i try to relate what it means to me, i can't think of a thing to say.

A Great View of Klimt's Intuition
These 100 drawings are essential for any student of Klimt's work. Given that many times it is this stage of his work that is under-represented in books on his art, this book is advantageous. I've been looking at Klimt for years, and many times I've marveled at his intuitive, initial marks; they are records of a man obsessed with obervational drawing. The drawings in this book, rarely seen, are great examples of the first and most direct marks he would use and they attest to his amazing skill. They shed light on the finished works while standing nicely on their own. Even though the works shown here represent only a minute fraction of his drawings (thousands littered his studios at any given time), these particular pieces provide a unique view of this controversial artist. A good purchase. ... Read more

Book Description

From painted ceilings and hypnotic murals to gold-fleckedportraits, this introduction to the life and work of the great Art Nouveaupainter brings to light the many features of Gustav Klimt's art that appealto younger audiences.

Children of all ages will respond to this vibrant exploration of Klimt'smost celebrated paintings. Beautiful reproductions of his friezes,paintings, and photographs highlight the important aspects of Klimt'scareer and personal life. Double-page spreads and dynamic design introducereaders to the artist's intricate mosaics, his use of mythologicalreferences, his dazzling palette, and his enchanting and elegant portraits.Young readers are invited inside Klimt's studio, where they learn what aday in the life of the artist entails. They are encouraged to share Klimt'slove for painting as they gain an understanding of the artist's unique andmesmerizing work.

Book Description

Big art for little hands, these enchanting activity booksallow young artists to explore the world's masterpieces on their own termsand with plenty of space to color outside the lines.

Book Description
The enfant terrible of the Viennese art scene, Klimt was notorious for his portraits of beautiful women. Illustrated with color reproductions, this book profiles the women who figured in the artist's life and on his canvasses. The author looks beyond the standard assumption that Klimt was a hard-hearted philanderer, pointing instead to his committed and loving relationship with Emilie Flöge that prevailed despite the parade of beautiful women who wandered in and out of theartist's studio. Partsch demonstrates Klimt's role in the evolution of portrait painting, which helped usher in the age of Expressionism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A FRESH LOOK AT KLIMT'S WOMEN
This small volume is almost a tapestry of the vibrant colors the artist used in his unparalleled depictions of women.Termed by some the enfant terrible of turn-of-the-century Vienna, his work nonetheless often represented the confounding relationship between artist and society women at that time.

A lifelong bachelor and known profligate, Klimt was eclectic in his tastes, showering his favors upon wealthy patrons as well as poor models.

Although still a controversial figure, letters that have come to light in recent years allow the author to reexamine Klimt's relationships and offer readers a fresh look at the paintings inspired by these women. ... Read more

Book Description
Gustav Klimt's unique style combines sensuality, realism, and spirituality to make his work recognizable and among the most popular in the history of art.His primary focus on women has led to the most ethereal portraits and murals ever produced.The text explores Vienna at the turn of the century and Klimt's importance in its society and within the context ofthe modern art movement.60 + color illustrations, faithfully reproduced. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Great painting but the book is too small
Spend more. get a bigger book. the painting are worth it.

Some regrets
I didn?t pay much attention to the description of the book, something that proved to be an error. Unfortunatly, i intented to buy a large book with paintings in a more adequate size, and this book is to small to really capture the details of Klimt?s work, despite of its fine printing.

re-creating ancient Greek myth in art
Gustav Klimt loved to draw women--men were just a prop, and rarely depicted in his work. He drew some of the most beautiful and dream-like pictures of women I have ever seen. Except for his society portraits, his women are always mythological, often nude, and sometimes very pretty. His painting style was very complex, colorful and elaborate, very decorative and intricate, full of symbolism and ancient mythical archetypes and motifs. Although a quiet man himself, Klimt's creative soul was very expressive. This book contains his best paintings, as well as a few surprises, like erotic drawings of women "playing with themselves."

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

Good, but....
Klimt's art, whether one is a fan or not, is seen everywhere.Rarely can one spend much time in a college dormitory before running into "The Kiss" or another poster of Klimt.This book itself is a nice collection of his various artworks over his career.However, the text leaves much to be desired.To the author's credit, he avoids taking at face value many of the risque rumors that surround Klimt's life.Instead, the author attempts to psychoanalyze him, and the "crisis of the male liberal ego."This seems quite a trick, as the author even admits that Klimt was rather reticient about talking about himself or leaving a paper trail of his life.As such, and especially by removing the rumors from the equation, the author seems to have blessed little to go on to try and delve into Klimt's mind.In this regard, I must agree with Barzun - this type of psychological history is questionable at best.If you do consider purchasing this work, do it for the artwork - don't bother yourself with the text.

great format, poor reproductions
The format of this book is wonderful -- the pages unfold to become full 20x22" images.This is a perfect size for a poster or teaching aid -- IF the image quality weren't so poor!I wanted to like this book, really... but I've seen Klimt's work in person as well as in many other books, and the reproductions here are just so dull and grainy.Rich violets appear brown; the firey red hair in several pieces looks very subdued."The Kiss", shown on the front cover, shows the couple with skin that is positively green.And the golds that Klimt is famous for, while I appreciate that they must be difficult to photograph, just do not come across.

I would have gladly paid more for this book if the publishers could have reproduced it better.It is obvious they intended this to be a picture book -- there are literally only two pages of writing -- so it would make sense to give the best reproductions possible!Even using a glossy paper instead of the dull matte finish would have given a better presentation.

If you are interested in truly appreciating Klimt and his work, I would recommend Taschen's posterbook for large, good quality reproductions.I also would recommend "Silver, Gold, and Precious Stones" from the Adventures in Art Series.This is geared toward a younger audience, but it beautifully laid out and presented, and actually uses a gold finish on the areas with gold leaf (nice touch!). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

excellent insight
A well-written reference on the development of many of Klimt's paintings. Thorough research connecting social milieu and technical art history, it helps to dissolve the opinions of those who feel Klimt's work is best left to calenders and dorm-room walls.


Indispensable for the understanding of the artist's aesthetic motivations.

A wonderful example of the process of making art!
I saw this book at a Borders in Chicago and I can hardly wait to get my paws on it. No...it's not all the pretty pictures, but it has wonderful examples of how Klimt approached his compositions. I would have scooped it at Borders, but YIKES, the price was a killer. It will be mine one day!

u dont get it
everyother review of this book has dumbfounded me. they dont get the concept of the book at all. i hear all the negative reviews, but for the wrong reasons, the book is brilliant and the best klimt out there and here's why. It's a window into the genius's mind, we get to see all of his sketches to each corresponding piece. for any real artist it's a jewel of composition, type design, and beautiful ideas. the people who want books of the famous pieces, are the same people who like the force fed music the radio stations give them and the women who wear broaches on sunday when they go for the annual museum outing (no offence grandma) . welcome to thinking for yourself. and finding out how gustav klimt thinks. good book....

Incomplete illustrations
I fell in love with Klimt after a trip to Vienna.This book was the first I purchased in hopes of taking some of his work with me, but I was sorely disappointed.Little of his most recognized work is included.Although the information was good, the illustrations were lacking. ... Read more

Book Description

Focusing on Gustav Klimt's famous mural, this book revealsthe story behind the Beethoven Frieze and the role it played in Vienna'scultural heyday.

Created by Klimt for the XIV Exhibition of the Secession in 1902--alsoknown as the Beethoven Exhibition--the Beethoven Frieze remains oneof the most important examples of Vienna Art Nouveau, and one of thehighlights of Klimt's career. Based on Richard Wagner's interpretation ofBeethoven's ninth symphony, it displays Klimt's artistic opinions, passionsand impressions. As a vehicle through which Klimt struggled to express thespiritual in terms of the visual, its elaborate decoration and frankeroticism reflect the debate between tradition and modernism that wasraging in fin de siècle Vienna. In this book, more than 200 images incolor and duotone offer close-up details of the frieze's panels and give anoverall perspective of the grandiose work. Stephan Koja discusses theBeethoven exhibition as a collective work of art, while other essaysdescribe the techniques Klimt used to create the frieze and those employedto preserve it, its place in Klimt's oeuvre, and its importance as a symbolof Vienna's artistic community.

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

From the Publisher
"Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862-1918) is the most famous of the Viennese Secessionists and one of the leading painters of Art Nouveau. From his earliest paintings, Klimt disclosed the persistent themes of his art: the longings and fears of the human psyche. His sensual paintings are as alluring today as they were to his contemporaries. This book of postcards presents a sumptuous selection of his masterful oils and murals. 30 full-color reproductions.

"Pomegranate's books of postcards contain thirty top-quality reproductions bound together in a handy, artful collection. Easy to remove and produced on heavy card stock, these stunning postcards are a delight to the sender and receiver. Note: postcards are oversized and may require additional postage. ISBN: 1-56640-018-X; size: 4 3/4 x 6 7/8"."--© Pomegranate ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
In accompaniment with the exhibition held by the National Gallery of Canada comes Gustav Klimt: Modernism in the Making. This powerhouse of a book spans the life and work of the famousAustrian painter who is well-known, even now, for his dramatic work,"The Kiss." This beautiful tome includes four chapters, by fourdifferent art historians, on the background and importance of Klimt'swork, plus two sections devoted to the works in the exhibition,including a page of detailed commentary on each of the paintings.

As a student, Klimt was trained in the decorative arts. He quickly became known for his blending of both high and low art styles, a rather controversial movement at the turn of the century. His graphic shapes and colors became one of his signatures and hold his paintings together like sublime art nouveau glue. Though popular enough at the time tohave been commissioned to create murals and friezes for grandbuildings, Klimt did not escape public criticism for the heavy sexualcontent of his work. Klimt's symbolic paintings about life and deathare full of images of nude women, young, old or pregnant, and couplesand groups intertwined. These colorful, sensual, and elegant paintingsremain fascinating symbols of fin-de-siècle Europe. --J.P. CohenBook Description
The most remarkable artist of late-19th-century Vienna, Gustav Klimt developed a highly personal style that combines decorative pattern with a mysterious, smoldering eroticism. This beautiful volume-the most comprehensive survey in English of the life and work of this popular artist-is the catalogue of a major Klimt exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the first Klimt retrospective in North America.

Superb reproductions of paintings and works on paper show all the phases of Klimt's career. With texts by highly respected experts who include recently discovered information about this compelling artist, the book will attract academics as well as Klimt's legions of fans.
330 photographs, 190 in full color, 240 pages, 10 x 12" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Life and work
I really enjoyed the book. Biography and work are handled in a well-balanced way, and the evolution of Klimt's art is linked to his life. The book has several articles, but the sense of unity is kept. The reproductions have good quality (the standard one in these types of books), and it is easy to understand for amateurs. I think it is a recommendable book if you like symbolism and modernism, and also if you would like to have a portrait of Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century.

Beautiful -- just don't let aunt Sally find it!
Frank Whitford's biography is a more comprehensive examination of the social/cultural perspective. Other books examine Klimt's portraits of women and Klimt's landscapes in greater sophistication. The dust jacket, a tension-infused portrait of his friend and muse, "told" me this is a fair and balanced examination of his works and of his views of art.It is. Beware: some material is not be appropriate for young children -- and offensive to conservative relatives. ... Read more

Book Description
Apostle of the beauty of the feminine form, Klimt displays in his work the profound creativity and anxiety brought on by the end of one century and the beginning of another. Special care has been taken with the color illustration to reproduce the artist's uniquely sumptuous palette. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
This unique and intimate treasure of a book captures the sensual pleasure of an artist's sketchbook as well as the genius behind Klimt's vision of women.

Throughout his career, Gustav Klimt completed hundreds of paintings and drawings of delicate beauty, many of them featuring the female form. Designed to imitate an artist's sketchbook, this exquisite volume culls the artist's most beautiful erotic sketches and watercolors. The experience of viewing it awakens the senses, while affording the reader the guilty pleasure of leafing through an artist's most private visions. The stunning color reproductions, embossed cover and calf binding make this a perfect gift for lovers of art and for lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Disappointed
I bought this book because I saw the exhibit at the Musee Maillot in Paris in 2005 and stupidly didn't buy their book of the drawings as I thought I could buy it here it here in the US. (Which isn't possible). This is an extremely disappointing pick of very few of his drawings, all of which were certainly not my favorites. There were so many which better demonstrated his skill in catching the expression, the sexuality and the beauty in very few lines I am surprised at all the inclusions and the exclusions. In my mind he picked the weaker drawings. And yes, they didn't even catch an obvious drawing inserted upside down, which unfortunately states a lot since there are so few of them.

Not worth the pretty binding and ribbons.
The presentation is great - I thought this would be a treat. Great binding, nice ribbon, and maybe this would make a good introduction to Klimt's erotic figure-work BUT . . .! There are only 56 drawings, most of them have been seen and reproduced in other books.An index gives specific information about the images but since the pages are unnumbered, good luck trying to match a drawing with its description.

The drawings are not in chronological order so you can't see Klimt's style change.The drawings are cut off and cropped sloppily and set on the page arbitrarily; some in the middle of the page, others shoved to the top or bottom for no particular reason. Actual image quality varies since the drawings are taken from a variety of sources; some look as if they were hastily run through Photoshop to clean them up. (But if you tell this was done, if you can SEE the digital manipulation, that doesn't say much, now does it?)Judging by the screen dots and other indicators some drawings show, a lot of these drawings were scanned from other books, run through a Photoshop-type of program to fill out the page - and not very diligently.I think the publishers were trying to be artistic.Or something. They've failed miserably.

Thames & Hudson did an Egon Schiele book a while ago that shows you CAN do this kind of thing well, at a great price and with tons of illustrations, not just 56.In April of 2006, they are going to release a Klimt book.Skip this feeble Prestel book and wait for the T&H book.

One last observation about the book at hand: the drawing on page 34 is badly placed at the bottom of the page . . . and is UPSIDE DOWN. ... Read more