Who owns klimt the kiss

This shimmering, colourful, love scene of two faces and bodies embracing each other, is conserved at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. Although clearly extravagant, the gold leaf covered canvas does not compromise the profound significance behind the work. Artsper invites you to dive into this erotic, ambiguous and mythical work, and discover its fascinating meaning.

Klimt painted The Kiss at a critical moment in his career: in the midst of an artistic panic. He had just received scathing criticism for his University of Vienna ceiling paintings, Philosophy, Medicine and Jurisprudence. The paintings were described as pornographic, and Klimt had reservations about his work and corrupted reputation. Moreover, he had just left the Vienna Secession, despite having founded and acted as the first president of the movement.

This group aimed to break ties with the Academy of Fine Arts and its conservative values. They explored the power of a delicate touch, an embrace, a kiss, a moment of violence or an erotic scene. Although Klimt left the movement due to disagreements, he remained its main representative along with Egon Schiele.

The figures' modest dress also marks this painting as one of Klimt's more conservative creations. Others have posited that The Kiss 's lovely lady was actually salon hostess and society woman Adele Bloch-Bauer, who had posed for a Golden Period portrait that same year. While Klimt's original composition is a perfect square, the popularity of the painting spurred countless reproductions on posters, postcards and various mementos. But these souvenirs regularly truncate the right and left sides of the painting to make for a more standard rectangle display.

Klimt's use of gold calls back to the kinds of religious art found in churches. Using gold leaf here to celebrate the earthly pleasures and sensuality of sexuality was considered by some profane. In , Austria released a commemorative Euro coin that had a etching of The Kiss on one side, and a portrait of Klimt at work in his studio on the other. Maybe it's the grand scale. Maybe it's the gold. BY Kristy Puchko. Klimt created his most famous work in a time of creative panic.

The Kiss was bought before it was finished. The Kiss 's sale broke records. Despite coining an iconic style through his Golden Phase, Klimt's brazen subject matter wasn't easily received. But at least he didn't let that reputation stop him from literally making history.

Its super structured and bold patterns referenced the Arts And Crafts Movement from Britain and the decorative flow of fine detail across the couple and their bed of flowers is total Art Nouveau — an influential movement for the founders of the Vienna Secession.

The couple are bound together through a heavily embellished cloak — coloured and concentric circles for her, monochromatic and striking rectangles for him — yet the basis of that golden robe makes the pair near on inseparable. This single focus on intimacy was a first for Klimt; by interweaving its lovings subjects with flowers and divinity it communicated the act of a kiss not as something to be hidden, but, instead, as something totally natural.

Why shy away from harmony? This is the most innocent symbol of passion to take from Klimt's body of work.