Bust of an elderly woman facing left Gustav Klimt

• Study for Klimt’s ‘Death and Life’ from 1911/1915. • The artist carried out meticulous studies of his figures, including this old woman • Klimt highlights the beauty of the ageing face, full of tranquillity and harmony The drawing was created in preparation for the painting ‘Death and Life’, which now hangs in the Leopold Museum in Vienna. As early as 1908, Gustav Klimt began work on his first preliminary sketches. As was his custom, he produced a large number of detailed studies, including one of an old woman, whose head he examined from various perspectives. He exhibited the picture for the first time in 1911. In total, it was shown in five exhibitions until Klimt decided in 1915–16 to paint over the background and add further figures. Since then, the picture has existed in its final form: ‘Life’ is a colourful stream, a cloud of patterns and ornaments featuring numerous people. A mother with a child, a couple, other women, including our elderly woman. They all appear peaceful; most have their eyes closed. Klimt’s creative process is evident in the study of the elderly woman: whilst she is depicted in profile in the drawing, she is shown head-on in the painting and, with her head bowed, appears almost androgynous. This abundance of life is contrasted, on the left of the picture, by the personification of Death. A skeletal human skull peeks out from a dark robe, adorned with countless crosses. Clutching a small club, it almost seems as though Death is curiously observing the intoxication of life. | 1862 Baumgarten bei Wien - Wien 1918 | Moderne Kunst | Arbeiten auf Papier | Nummer: 26x2194 | Provenance: Nachlass des Künstlers, mit dem Stempel (Lugt 1575), in Erbfolge vermutlich an Johanna Zimpel, geb. Klimt (1873-1950), Schwester des Künstlers, Wien, vermutlich 1950 in Erbfolge an Sammlung Rudolf Zimpel (1898-1984), Wien, Neffe des Künstlers, in Erbfolge weiterhin in Familienbesitz, Wien; Privatsammlung, Österreich, bei Vorgenanntem erworben.

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