www.pointofart.eu
Artworks by Gustav Klimt:
(Click on the images if you wish to view them individually or larger.)
“If you can’t please everyone with your deeds and art, please just a few.” –Gustav Klimt
A couple years ago I was rifling through the art section of a book store, and I came across information about several Gustav Klimt paintings that had been lost or destroyed over time. Most had been intentionally destroyed by German agents at the end of World War II. Other paintings were taken away from their Jewish owners as the manifestations of the Holocaust swept across Europe.
When I read the information, I was emotionally surprised by how upset I was at learning about artworks that had been lost forever. The weight of that experience taught me more about how much I appreciate some art.
As you might reasonably infer, I love Klimt’s artworks. They are incandescent, poignant, and hopefully everlasting. So, when I learned some had been destroyed, my heart sunk.
Here are Some of Klimt’s Paintings That Have Been Destroyed Over Time:
“Jurisprudence”:
“Philosophy”:
(I believe the above drawing still exists even though the above finished painting does not.)
“Medicine”:
“The Girl Friends” (aka “Women Friends”):
“Schubert at the Piano”:
“Leda”:
Leda and the Swan on Wikipedia
In pre-1945, the above paintings were not photographed in color, so while the colorized versions are pleasant to look at, and may be represenative of the originals, they are most likely not the same colors as the original paintings.
Other destroyed or missing paintings include “Malcesine on Lake Garda” and a portrait of Serena Lederer’s mother.
There is another Klimt painting entitled “Wally” (of Valerie (Wally) Neuzil, a woman) that I’ve only seen a 3/4 view in a photo. I’ve been unable to ever see a straight-on picture of it, so I presume it has been lost or destroyed. In the same photo, an older Serena Lederer (older than she appears in her younger portrait by Klimt) stands proudly in front of 4 of her Klimt paintings, one of her (Portrait of Serena Lederer (1899)) , one of her daughter (Portrait of Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt (1914) ) , one titled “Golden Apple Tree”, and one of “Wally” – a model who also worked with artist Egon Schiele.
Update November 2009: Since the original post, I have found this black and white image of “Wally”:
In doing the research for this post (which took way longer than I estimated because more and more fascinating & beautiful artworks kept rising up), I discovered that Federal Judge Michael B. Mukasey (Yes, that Mukasey – the soon-to-be new U.S. Attorney General) ruled on a dispute of one of Schiele’s paintings: ”Portrait of Wally” (the same “Wally,” but a painting by Schiele). A 2002 Forbes article explaining that dispute can be found here. That dispute in federal court appears to still be ongoing as noted in this year’s New York Times article here.
Michael B. Mukasey on Wikipedia
Gustav Klimt on Wikipedia
Schiele on Wikipedia
If you don’t think Klimt’s ideas and work mattered, then attempt to name one of his contempary fellow Austrian citizens from that era.
Sadly, some of his art has been lost, but hopefully it will not be forgotten.
Viewing many more of Klimt’s artworks today (in selecting the few above), this idea came to mind:
“Visual arts work often because many people prefer to ‘see’ protest in action rather than to read about it.”
- – - -
If you know of other examples of quality art that have been lost, I’d enjoy hearing those stories or seeing images of the lost artworks. About 5 years ago, I remember happily reading a tragic book showing grand buildings from the 1700s through the mid 1900s that had all either been demolished or destroyed over time. I enjoy the experience of seeing works of art that no longer exist.
sexualityinart
www.pointofart.eu
Artworks by Gustav Klimt:
(Click on the images if you wish to view them individually or larger.)
“If you can’t please everyone with your deeds and art, please just a few.” –Gustav Klimt
A couple years ago I was rifling through the art section of a book store, and I came across information about several Gustav Klimt paintings that had been lost or destroyed over time. Most had been intentionally destroyed by German agents at the end of World War II. Other paintings were taken away from their Jewish owners as the manifestations of the Holocaust swept across Europe.
When I read the information, I was emotionally surprised by how upset I was at learning about artworks that had been lost forever. The weight of that experience taught me more about how much I appreciate some art.
As you might reasonably infer, I love Klimt’s artworks. They are incandescent, poignant, and hopefully everlasting. So, when I learned some had been destroyed, my heart sunk.
Here are Some of Klimt’s Paintings That Have Been Destroyed Over Time:
“Jurisprudence”:
“Philosophy”:
(I believe the above drawing still exists even though the above finished painting does not.)
“Medicine”:
“The Girl Friends” (aka “Women Friends”):
“Schubert at the Piano”:
“Leda”:
Leda and the Swan on Wikipedia
In pre-1945, the above paintings were not photographed in color, so while the colorized versions are pleasant to look at, and may be represenative of the originals, they are most likely not the same colors as the original paintings.
Other destroyed or missing paintings include “Malcesine on Lake Garda” and a portrait of Serena Lederer’s mother.
There is another Klimt painting entitled “Wally” (of Valerie (Wally) Neuzil, a woman) that I’ve only seen a 3/4 view in a photo. I’ve been unable to ever see a straight-on picture of it, so I presume it has been lost or destroyed. In the same photo, an older Serena Lederer (older than she appears in her younger portrait by Klimt) stands proudly in front of 4 of her Klimt paintings, one of her (Portrait of Serena Lederer (1899)) , one of her daughter (Portrait of Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt (1914) ) , one titled “Golden Apple Tree”, and one of “Wally” – a model who also worked with artist Egon Schiele.
Update November 2009: Since the original post, I have found this black and white image of “Wally”:
In doing the research for this post (which took way longer than I estimated because more and more fascinating & beautiful artworks kept rising up), I discovered that Federal Judge Michael B. Mukasey (Yes, that Mukasey – the soon-to-be new U.S. Attorney General) ruled on a dispute of one of Schiele’s paintings: ”Portrait of Wally” (the same “Wally,” but a painting by Schiele). A 2002 Forbes article explaining that dispute can be found here. That dispute in federal court appears to still be ongoing as noted in this year’s New York Times article here.
Michael B. Mukasey on Wikipedia
Gustav Klimt on Wikipedia
Schiele on Wikipedia
If you don’t think Klimt’s ideas and work mattered, then attempt to name one of his contempary fellow Austrian citizens from that era.
Sadly, some of his art has been lost, but hopefully it will not be forgotten.
Viewing many more of Klimt’s artworks today (in selecting the few above), this idea came to mind:
“Visual arts work often because many people prefer to ‘see’ protest in action rather than to read about it.”
- – - -
If you know of other examples of quality art that have been lost, I’d enjoy hearing those stories or seeing images of the lost artworks. About 5 years ago, I remember happily reading a tragic book showing grand buildings from the 1700s through the mid 1900s that had all either been demolished or destroyed over time. I enjoy the experience of seeing works of art that no longer exist.
sexualityinart
www.pointofart.eu
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