Born in Baumgarten, near Vienna, Gustav Klimt was the second son of a gold engraver and showed artistic talent early, studying at the Vienna School of Arts and... View More

Born in Baumgarten, near Vienna, Gustav Klimt was the second son of a gold engraver and showed artistic talent early, studying at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts. In the 1890s, Klimt co-founded the Vienna Secession as a breakaway from conservative academic institutions. His early decorative frecoes in the Burgtheater and University of Vienna reveal a commitment to symbolism and the decorative arts.

By 1907, Klimt’s “Golden Phase” culminated in sensual masterpieces such as The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, and the Beethoven Frieze, integrating Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints, and allegorical content. His female figures—rendered with erotic intensity and ornamental richness—challenged social norms around sexuality and gender. Though he never married, Klimt maintained lifelong friendships with writers, musicians, and intellectuals in fin-de-siècle Vienna. His death during the Spanish flu epidemic ended a career that profoundly transformed the trajectory of modern art, paving the way for Expressionism and Art Nouveau.