Lyla Lindsey
Austrian painters Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele both died in 1918. Klimt, a symbolist painter and founding member of the Vienna Secession movement, died on February 6, 1918, in Vienna, from a stroke and pneumonia brought on by the Spanish flu. Schiele, an early twentieth-century figurative painter known for his raw sensuality and self-portraits, died on October 31, 1918. While the details of his death are unknown, he was active in the military during World War I.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Gustav Klimt |
| Date of Birth | 14 July 1862 |
| Place of Birth | Baumgarten, near Vienna, Austrian Empire |
| Date of Death | 6 February 1918 |
| Place of Death | Vienna |
| Cause of Death | Stroke and pneumonia brought about by the Spanish flu |
| Known For | Paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art |
| Primary Subject | Female body |
| Art Movement | Symbolism, Art Nouveau |
| Notable Works | The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Lady with a Fan |
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What You'll Learn
- Gustav Klimt, Austrian symbolist painter, died on 6 February 1918
- Klimt's work helped define Art Nouveau in Europe
- He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement
- Klimt's last painting, Lady with a Fan, was sold for £85.3 million in 2023
- Adolf Hitler lived and painted in Vienna from 1908 to 1913
Gustav Klimt, Austrian symbolist painter, died on 6 February 1918
Gustav Klimt, born on 14 July 1862 in Baumgarten, near Vienna, was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt's father, Ernst Klimt the Elder, was a gold engraver, and his mother, Anna Klimt, had ambitions to be a musical performer. Klimt was the second of seven children, and he and his two younger brothers all displayed artistic talent from an early age.
Klimt studied architectural painting at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule from 1876 to 1883. After graduating, he opened an independent studio specialising in mural paintings. His early work was conventional and academic, but he soon began to develop a more personal style. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. Among his figurative works, which include allegories and portraits, he also painted landscapes.
Klimt is best known for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. His most famous works include The Kiss (1908-09) and a series of portraits of fashionable Viennese women, such as Fritza Riedler (1906) and Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907). Klimt's work was an important influence on his younger peer Egon Schiele, and he is credited with helping to define Art Nouveau in Europe.
Klimt's last painting, Lady with a Fan (Dame mit Fächer, 1918), was sold by Sotheby's in London in 2023 for £85.3 million, making it the highest-priced artwork ever sold at auction in Europe. Klimt died in Vienna on 6 February 1918, from a stroke and pneumonia brought on by the Spanish flu.
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Klimt's work helped define Art Nouveau in Europe
Gustav Klimt, one of the two famous Austrian painters who died in 1918, is known for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's work helped define Art Nouveau in Europe, and he is considered one of the most popular and celebrated artists of this style. Klimt's work is characterised by his creative energy, expressive use of line, and dominant use of ornament, which captured the avant-garde spirit of the time.
Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. He created about one large-format portrait of a woman per year, applying the principles of Art Nouveau—flatness, decoration, and gold leaf application. Klimt's popular work, "The Kiss", is one of the most recognisable examples of his work and of the Art Nouveau movement. It is one of the few paintings of his that features a man. Another of his notable works is "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I". Klimt's work often dealt with the themes of the subconscious impulses and desires, arousing strong feelings among the public and art critics.
Klimt was born in 1862 in Baumgarten, near Vienna, and displayed artistic talent from a young age. He studied architectural painting at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule and was influenced by Vienna's foremost history painter of the time, Hans Makart. Klimt's early work was academic and conservative, but he later developed a more personal style. He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement, a group of Austrian artists who sought to bring modern European art styles to Austria. Klimt was particularly influenced by Japanese art and its methods.
In addition to his figurative works, Klimt also painted landscapes, particularly during his summer holidays with the Flöge family on the shores of Attersee. These landscapes are characterised by refinement of design and emphatic patterning, and it is believed that Klimt used a telescope to achieve the flattening of deep space in these works. Klimt's last painting, "Lady with a Fan", was sold in 2023 for £85.3 million, making it the highest-priced artwork ever sold at auction in Europe.
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He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement
Gustav Klimt, who died on 6 February 1918, was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt was born in 1862 in Baumgarten, near Vienna, and was the second of seven children. He studied architectural painting at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule, now the University of Applied Arts Vienna, from 1876 to 1883.
The Vienna Secession was a group of artists who followed the academic artists of the Künstlerhaus and focused primarily on portraiture. Klimt's work within this movement helped define Art Nouveau in Europe. He combined design and function with a clear formal language and craftsmanship, setting new standards for modern design. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. He is best known for "The Kiss" and "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I".
Klimt was influenced by Japanese art, and his early work was often controversial. For example, his paintings for the ceiling of the Great Hall of the University of Vienna were criticised as pornographic. In addition to his figurative works, which include allegories and portraits, Klimt also painted landscapes. He formed the "Kunstschau" or "Klimt group", which included other important Austrian artists such as Moll and Otto Wagner. Klimt's work was recognised for its intensity, earning him the nickname "Waldschrat" ("forest demon") from locals.
Klimt's influence extended beyond his lifetime, as demonstrated by the high prices his paintings continue to command at auction. In 2023, his final painting, "Lady with a Fan", sold for £85.3 million, becoming the highest-priced artwork ever sold at auction in Europe. Another of his portraits, of a young African man, was rediscovered in 2021 and is currently for sale with a starting bid of €15 million.
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Klimt's last painting, Lady with a Fan, was sold for £85.3 million in 2023
Gustav Klimt, born in Baumgarten, near Vienna, was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His work, which primarily featured the female body, helped define the Art Nouveau movement in Europe.
Klimt's last painting, "Lady with a Fan" ("Dame mit Fächer"), was sold by Sotheby's in London on 27 June 2023 for £85.3 million (US$108.4 million) to a Hong Kong collector. The painting was found on the easel in his studio at the time of his death in 1918 and is considered a masterpiece by art experts.
The sale of "Lady with a Fan" set a new record for the most expensive work of art ever sold in Europe, surpassing the previous record held by Alberto Giacometti's sculpture, "Walking Man I", which sold for $104.3 million in 2010. The painting also set a new auction record for Klimt himself, surpassing the previous record of $104.6 million achieved for "Birch Forest" at Christie's in 2022.
The auction generated much interest, with a 10-minute bidding battle taking place between four clients, some in the room and others calling in. The painting's sale price reflected the intense demand from Asia, with the eventual buyer being a Hong Kong-based art advisor. "Lady with a Fan" is a captivating depiction of a nude figure, showcasing Klimt's exploration of colour and form, and is considered a masterpiece by an artist at the height of his powers.
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Adolf Hitler lived and painted in Vienna from 1908 to 1913
Hitler moved to Vienna in 1908, and it was here that he began his artistic career. He had previously failed the entrance exam for the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 1907 and again in 1908, which damaged his confidence. Despite this setback, Hitler persevered with his art and made a meagre living by selling his paintings. He also had a few loyal buyers, such as Samuel Morgenstern, a Jewish store owner, who was one of his most important clients. Hitler's preferred subjects were architecture and landscapes, and he often copied his compositions from postcards.
Hitler's time in Vienna was formative in shaping his worldview and his admiration for the city's antisemitic mayor, Karl Lueger. It was also during this period that Hitler's own antisemitic views began to develop, as he became influenced by Lueger's rhetoric. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Hitler frequently attended the theatre with his friend August Kubizek, with whom he lived for a period in 1908.
Hitler's early works as a whole have been described as "innocuous and trivial urban landscapes", and it is estimated that he produced between 2,000 and 3,000 pieces between the ages of 18 and 25. Many of his paintings from this period were recovered after World War II and sold at auctions, while others were seized by the United States Army and remain in their possession. Despite his lack of success as an artist, Hitler's time in Vienna contributed to the myth-making that surrounded his rise to power, and he continued to paint even after becoming the Führer of Germany.
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Frequently asked questions
Gustav Klimt and Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele. Gustav Klimt was a symbolist painter and founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. He died on 6 February 1918 in Vienna, of a stroke and pneumonia brought on by the Spanish flu. Egon Schiele was an early 20th-century figurative painter and protégé of Gustav Klimt. He was known for his self-portraits, some of which were nude.
Gustav Klimt is best known for his paintings "The Kiss" and "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I". His last painting, "Lady with a Fan", sold for £85.3 million in 2023, making it the highest-priced artwork ever sold at auction in Europe.
Unfortunately, I cannot find information on Egon Schiele's most famous works.
Yes, some other famous Austrian painters include Ernst Fuchs, Friedrich von Amerling, and Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. Adolf Hitler also worked as a professional artist while living in Vienna between 1908 and 1913, though his work received little commercial or critical success.
