0018
Gustav Klimt
(Wien 1862 - 1918 Wien)
„Study for the Portrait of Fräulein Lieser“
1917
pencil on paper; framed
50 × 32.5 cm
estate stamp on the lower right: Gustav / Klimt / Nachlass
estate stamp on the reverse: Nachlass / Gustav / Klimt / Sammlung / R. Zimpel
Provenance
from the artist's estate (collection R. Zimpel);
Austrian private property
Exhibition
1963 Vienna, Ch. M. Nebehay, no. 55 (ill.; there: Study for the Portrait of Friederike Beer-Monti);
1967 Vienna, Ch. M. Nebehay, no. 52 (ill.; there: Study for the Portrait of Friederike Beer-Monti);
1974 Vienna, Ch. M. Nebehay, no. 22 (ill.; there: Study for the Portrait of Friederike Beer-Monti)
Literature
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen 1912-1918, vol. III, Salzburg 1984, no. 2587, ill. p. 121
Reserve Price: € 50.000 +fees +if applicable Droit de Suite
The same fees apply for bids at the reserve price as during the auction and a knockdown can take place immediately after processing.Estimate: € 50.000 - 100.000
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The study for the newly discovered “Fräulein Lieser” portrait (cat.-no. 19), which was until recently known only as a black-and-white photograph, now appears in a new light in this context. Among the drawings (catalogued by Alice Strobl) for the portrait of the young woman, whose precise identity remains unclear for the time being, the example presented here belongs to the most extensive category in terms of motif (Strobl nos. 2584-2605). This encompasses those works in which Klimt captures the full length of his model standing in a frontal position, and embeds them in the picture like a column, by allowing the edges of the sheet to cut across the head and feet (in the painting, the figure is shown from about the knees upwards). In some of these drawings he hints at the facial features, but here he has only drawn an oval outline. The hands, too, are drawn in a largely sketchy way, while the small flowers of the shawl depicted in the painting are simplified into ovals or round shapes inside square ones (Strobl, vol. III, p. 112).
In his graphic exploration, Klimt is above all focused on the dynamics of the undulating, flowing shawl, which – in the style typical of his late period – is characterised by lively, abstract brushstrokes. The linear structures of this dominant piece of textile engage in an expressive dialogue with the brightly shining layer of clothing, which opens almost sensually. The interaction between the layers of space in the painting takes place primarily in the intense colours.
(Marian Bisanz-Prakken)