Gustav Klimt 150 Exhibitions in 2012 in Vienna, Austria

Nov 10, 2011
Henk Bekker

Gustav Klimt / Josef Hoffmann in Pioniere der Moderne - © Belvedere, Wien / Foto Manfred Seidl

Several Viennese galleries, including the Belvedere and Kunsthistorisches Museum, will stage special Gustav Klimt 150 exhibitions during 2012.

The art of the popular Viennese artist Gustav Klimt will be celebrated in several special temporary exhibitions in Vienna (Wien) during 2012. The Belvedere Gallery, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Leopold Museum, and the Albertina have numerous Klimt works in their permanent collections but all will stage special 150-years commemorative exhibitions on Gustav Klimt in 2012. The Belvedere, home to the largest single collection of Klimt oil paintings, will arguably have the most popular exhibition but the specialist nature of the other displays will also draw keen interest.

The Austrian Artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Gustav Klimt was born in 1862 near Vienna and spent his whole life in the Austrian capital. In contrast to many of his contemporaries he traveled surprisingly little, wrote seldom, and never painted a self portrait.

His early works were conventional and appreciated by the conservative Austrian establishment. Klimt decorated several public buildings, including the staircases of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, but his work for the university buildings caused a scandal and ended his public commissions.

Gustav Klimt was a founding member and leader of the Viennese Secessionist movement (Austrian Art Nouveau) in 1897. He produced his most famous works during the first decade of the twentieth century when he painted mostly female figures.

Klimt’s most famous works are arguably “The Kiss” (1907/08) and “Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907). “The Kiss” (Der Kuss) is in the permanent collection of the Belvedere in Vienna, while “Adele Bloch-Bauer I” is now in the Neue Gallerie in New York.

Gustav Klimt died in 1918 in Vienna from pneumonia caused by the Spanish flue. In recent years, his paintings broke several records for the most expensive works of art ever sold.

Gustav Klimt 150 Exhibitions in Vienna in 2012

Vienna will celebrate the art of Gustav Klimt with several special exhibitions in 2012:

The Belvedere will have two Klimt-themed exhibitions in addition to its permanent displays. The Pioneers of the Modern includes works by Gustav Klimt and architect Josef Hoffmann (October 10, 2011 to March 4, 2012). The larger 150 Years of Gustav Klimt will be a major showcase for the life and art of the artist (June 15, 2012 to January 6, 2013).
The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Fine Art Museum) will use the 13 paintings Klimt painted for its ceremonial stair case as the base for a special exhibition on Klimt and his drawings (February 14 to May 6, 2012).
The Leopold Museum will display works by Klimt next to paintings by other Secessionist painters. The Gustav Klimt. (Time) Travel exhibition will include items from his travels and postcards written to Emilie Flöge (February 24 to June 11, 2012).
The Albertina in Vienna has the largest single collection of drawings by Klimt. The Klimt – Drawings exhibition will display most of the 170 works in the collection as well as further sketches (March 14 to June 10, 2012).

Gustav Klimt’s works can be seen in many further Austrian art museums. The Belvedere has the largest collection of Klimt paintings on display while the very controversial Beethoven Frieze can be seen in the lovely Vienna Secession Building.