Lot 3232 - A209 Art Impressionniste & Moderne - vendredi, 21. juin 2024, 17h00
GUSTAV KLIMT
(1862 Wien 1918)
Two lovers, standing - compositional study for "Erfüllung" of the Stoclet Frieze. 1907/08.
Pencil on paper.
Estate stamp lower right: GUSTAV / KLIMT / NACHLASS.
55.5 × 37.3 cm.
Provenance:
- Private collection, Austria.
- Private collection, Switzerland.
- Private collection, Switzerland acquired in 2014/15 from the above collection.
Exhibited:
Essen 1976, Gustav Klimt. Zeichnungen aus Albertina- und Privatbesitz, Museum Folkwang, no. 97.
Literature:
- Alice Strobl: Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen, 1904–1912, vol.II, Salzburg 1982, p. 180, no. 1809 (ill.).
- Hans H. Hofstätter: Gustav Klimt. Erotische Zeichnungen, Cologne 1979, no. 9 (fig. 8).
In 1905, Klimt was commissioned to design an immense decorative frieze for the dining room of the palace in Brussels built by Josef Hoffmann for Adolf Stoclet. The two long sides of the dining room are each 2 meters high and 7.4 meters long. The frieze was finally executed in 1909-11 under the artist's supervision in the Wiener Werkstätte, using the finest materials including silver sheet, coral, semi-precious stones, gold mosaic, and polychrome faience.
The "Fulfillment (Embrace)" adorns the figural panel of the righthand long wall of the dining room. The loving couple embracing each other has long since become an art icon.
The drawing presented here is one of the unused composition studies for this very project. What is astonishing above all is the considerable size for a study, but this can be explained by the expanse of the frieze.
The standing couple and the man's cloak, later richly decorated, are only hinted at with a few sketchy lines. It's interesting that the part of the man's head that is no longer visible in the final version, or only partially as a black spot, is conceived with a little more detail.
The couple's postures and gestures also suggest a completely different message than that of the final version: In contrast to the pair of lovers who embrace tightly and have virtually become one, here we find a couple fraught with distant tension. The woman throws her head all the way back, creating the greatest possible distance between herself and the man's head. The right arm of the standing man is raised and even turned slightly backwards, further distancing the two bodies from each other. The man's open eyes fixate on the woman with a challenging, piercing gaze.
The "Fulfillment (Embrace)" adorns the figural panel of the righthand long wall of the dining room. The loving couple embracing each other has long since become an art icon.
The drawing presented here is one of the unused composition studies for this very project. What is astonishing above all is the considerable size for a study, but this can be explained by the expanse of the frieze.
The standing couple and the man's cloak, later richly decorated, are only hinted at with a few sketchy lines. It's interesting that the part of the man's head that is no longer visible in the final version, or only partially as a black spot, is conceived with a little more detail.
The couple's postures and gestures also suggest a completely different message than that of the final version: In contrast to the pair of lovers who embrace tightly and have virtually become one, here we find a couple fraught with distant tension. The woman throws her head all the way back, creating the greatest possible distance between herself and the man's head. The right arm of the standing man is raised and even turned slightly backwards, further distancing the two bodies from each other. The man's open eyes fixate on the woman with a challenging, piercing gaze.
CHF 50 000 / 80 000 | (€ 51 550 / 82 470)