Gustav Klimt: Life and Work

by Agnes Husslein-Arco (Editor), Alfred Weidinger (Text), Stefanie Penck (Text)

Up until today, Gustav Klimt has been labelled revolutionary and modernist pioneer, compulsive pornographer, ladies’ man, enfant terrible for the conservative educated middle-class, and overrated painter of golden kitsch. For a number of years he has also been a significant protagonist in the contest for the most expensive paintings of all time.
Today, almost 200 years after his death, it is difficult to decide between these various labels. In this first volume of the new series EDITION BELVEDERE, authors sketch a portrait of this unique artist, based on his works, letters, comments by his contemporaries, and a wealth of photos from the Klimt archive, some of which have never been shown before. Accompany the authors on this fascinatingly told life story!

128 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published April 30, 2014

Reviews

[Jacob Meza]

Loved the paintings and was not expecting Klimt to turn out to be an Austrian sex icon of his era.

[Joy]

I thoroughly enjoyed this! That being said, it is poorly produced. The text is translated a bit roughly; many of the captions are on a size 8 font; many of the pictures are so small that you can’t really see the detail of what is in them; there are some typos, and the overall organization is a bit haphazard.

[Kim Tyo-Dickerson]

A photo-filled biography with decently accurate color reproductions that is, unfortunately, pretty poorly written/translated. It assumes quite a bit about how much the reader knows about Klimt. Purchased from the Belvedere Museum gift shop, so you would perhaps expect the three double-page photos introducing the book would be accurately labeled. They are not.

[Dana]

I am amazed that he was such a player and seductive. no wonder all thr gorgeous nude painting came after such a caracter like Gustav. I adore all his paintings now.

[Greg]

The first part of the two-volume set, these books which I purchased at the Belvedere museum gift shop in detail both Klimt’s personal life and influence as well as his masterpieces. Volume one, Life and Work, delves into the background and character of Klimt himself. His relationships with others, particularly women, were unknown to me prior to reading this volume, but understanding these relationships is key to understanding his art. The book is filled with short descriptions as well as direct quotes from Klimt and the people around him. The book also talks about his enormous influence not just in Austrian art but his contributions to modern art in general. This is a small volume but definitely worth the price I paid.

See my other reviews here!

[Andrea Engle]

Visual treat ... peppered with contemporary quotes ... brief discussion of Klimt's life and work ... beautifully illustrated ... only wish the book were larger in size ...