Klimt / Schiele: Drawings from the Albertina Museum, Vienna

by Gustav Klimt (Artist), Egon Schiele (Artist), Marian Bisanz-Prakken (Contributor)

Klimt's and Schiele's draftsmanship still enthralls with its disturbing eroticism Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) and his younger protégé Egon Schiele (1890–1918) are considered two of the greatest figures of Austrian Modernism. Whether inspiring or competing with one another, together they reconfigured the way the human body was translated into art. Although both artists are primarily remembered as painters, between them they left 7,000 drawings, many of the greatest of which are now in the collection of the Albertina Museum, Vienna. In 2018 an exhibition opens at the Royal Academy in London of both artists' drawings from the Albertina collection, which are very rarely displayed and almost never travel. This stunning publication records these precious works in all their erotic, intriguing and sometimes disturbing beauty. Leading experts on the period provide authoritative texts that illuminate the important relationship between the two artists. They analyze the role of drawing in their practice and chart the response of early 20th-century Vienna to their electrifying work, which still has the power to shock and enthrall to this day.

Genres: Art

189 pages, Hardcover

Published January 22, 2019

About the author

Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna, the second of seven children — three boys and four girls. All three sons displayed artistic talent early on. His father, Ernst Klimt, formerly from Bohemia, was a gold engraver. Ernst married Anna Klimt (née Finster), whose unrealized ambition was to be a musical performer. Klimt lived in poverty for most of his childhood, as work was scarce and economic advancement was difficult for immigrants.

In 1876, Klimt was awarded a scholarship to the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts (Kunstgewerbeschule), where he studied until 1883, and received training as an architectural painter. He revered the foremost history painter of the time, Hans Makart. Klimt readily accepted the principles of a conservative training; his early work may be classified as academic. In 1877 his brother Ernst, who, like his father, would become an engraver, also enrolled in the school. The two brothers and their friend Franz Matsch began working together; by 1880 they had received numerous commissions as a team they called the "Company of Artists", and helped their teacher in painting murals in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Klimt began his professional career painting interior murals and ceilings in large public buildings on the Ringstraße including a successful series of "Allegories and Emblems".

In 1888, Klimt received the Golden order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria for his contributions to murals painted in the Burgtheater in Vienna. He also became an honorary member of the University of Munich and the University of Vienna. In 1892 both Klimt's father and brother Ernst died, and he had to assume financial responsibility for his father's and brother's families. The tragedies affected his artistic vision as well, and soon he would veer toward a new personal style. In the early 1890s, Klimt met Emilie Flöge, who, notwithstanding the artist's relationships with other women, was to be his companion until the end of his life. Whether his relationship with Flöge was sexual or not is debated, but during that period Klimt fathered at least 14 children.

--Wikipedia

Reviews

[Ari Chand · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully printed book, that exhibits the alluring delicacy of the drawings from two similarly diverse artists who explored what it is to humans. The paper is luscious to change and having been to the exhibition in question at the Royal Academy of Art reflects the nature and style of the curatorial considerations. The images are powerful and explore the dextrous use of the line and openness of the page. A book that shares and explores our deeply historical love of drawing.

A wonderful read and a complete visual feast.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 3 out of 5]

The catalogue from the Royal Academy exhibition of Klimt/Schiele drawings. Lots of sketches & preparatory drawings. Some surprisingly explicit.