0006
Gustav Klimt
(Wien 1862 - 1918 Wien)
„Portrait of a Woman“
c. 1916
pencil on paper; framed
56.5 x 36.8 cm
signed in the right centre: Gustav / Klimt
Provenance
private property, Austria;
Auction House im Kinsky, 22.06.2023, no. 4001;
private property, Austria
Dr. Marian Bisanz-Prakken (Albertina, Vienna) will include this drawing in the supplementary volume to the catalogue raisonné of drawings by Gustav Klimt published by Alice Strobl.
Estimate: € 60.000 - 120.000
Result: € 115.200 (incl. fees)
Auction is closed.
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The bust portrait of a seated model with her upper body slightly bent forward can be assigned to a large group of late, autonomous pictures, described in Alice Strobl's catalogue raisonné as “Bust portraits from around 1916” (original title: “Brustbilder um 1916”, Strobl vol. III, no. 2671-2722). The women depicted are anonymous and stand out due, in particular, to the expression of their eyes, eyebrows and the curved shape of their lips.
The present work is undoubtedly a valuable addition to this category. The seated figure protrudes diagonally into the pictorial space, with her head turned towards the viewer. The diagonals of her forward-leaning upper body and her propped arms are at right angles to each other, while the cursorily suggested hand, too, is stylised in an angular manner. This geometrical interplay of forms is counterbalanced by the pulsating lines with which Klimt outlines the model’s neck, face and hairstyle. The focus is on the dreamy eyes, whose expression is defined not only by the partially lowered lids but also by the dark, accentuated eyebrows. The vigorously reiterated strokes with which the slightly open mouth is drawn add a sensual touch. This harmonious work, in which Klimt – as so often – explores the very essence of a particular type of woman, is crowned by the carefully positioned signature.
(Marian Bisanz-Prakken, 2023)