Lady with a Fan | |
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German: Dame mit Fächer | |
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Artist | Gustav Klimt |
Year | 1917–1918 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 100.2 cm × 100.2 cm (39.4 in × 39.4 in) |
Location | Private collection |
Lady with a Fan (German: Dame mit Fächer) was the final portrait created by Gustav Klimt. [1] Painted in 1917, the uncommissioned piece depicting an unidentified woman was on an easel in his studio when he died in 1918. [2] Like many of Klimt's late works, it incorporates strong Asian influences including many Chinese motifs. [3]
In June 2023, it sold at auction with Sotheby's in London for £85.3 million ($108.4 million, €99.2 million), the highest price ever achieved in Europe for a work of art. [4] [5] It was bought by art dealer Patti Wong on behalf of a Hong Kong collector. [4] [5]
The square painting depicts a woman with chestnut curls against a yellow backdrop with Oriental motifs. [6] [2] [7] [8] As she gazes into the distance to the left, her patterned silk robe is slipping off her shoulder and she holds a fan concealing her bosom. [6] [2]
The Chinese motifs in the background include a large flying phoenix, a symbol of immortality, rebirth, and good fortune, and bright pink lotus blossoms, which are associated with love and immutable beauty. [7] [6] [4] [3] A long-legged crane and a golden pheasant are also present. [3] The flatness of the background patterns evokes Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, [7] [4] while the colours imitate the chrome yellow, cobalt blue, and red ochre of enameled Chinese porcelain. [3] [6]
The identity of the sitter is unknown, with speculation that the model could be Johanna Staude, [2] Klimt's life companion Emilie Flöge, [9] or one of his favourite dancers. [3] According to the Belvedere Museum Vienna, the painting was exhibited under the title of Dancer (Tänzerin) shortly after it was created, suggesting that the model may have been a ballet or music hall dancer. [3]
Lady with a Fan has similarities with Klimt's portrait Wally, painted in 1916, in which the model's left shoulder is uncovered. [10] In Girlfriends or Two Women Friends (1916–1917), Klimt also painted a background with Oriental motifs, including a large phoenix. [10] Both paintings were destroyed in 1945 during the fire at Immendorf Castle. [10]
In contrast to Klimt's earlier works, Lady with a Fan is characterised by freer and more rapidly executed brushstrokes. [6] [3] While some art historians have suggested that the work was "unfinished", pointing out small patches of bare canvas such as where the model's upper arm meets her robe, [3] art critic Kelly Grovier argues that "flux and fragmentation" are what gives the painting its power, concluding that "Its unfinishedness is what completes it." [6]
Lady with a Fan was still on an easel in Klimt's studio, along with his unfinished work, The Bride, when he had a stroke and eventually died in early 1918. [3]
Following his death in February 1918, the painting was held by the gallery of Gustav Nebehay of Vienna. [11] By 1920, it had been bought by industrialist Erwin Böhler, who was a patron and friend of Klimt, along with his brother Heinrich who subsequently acquired it. [2] [11] In 1940, it was inherited by Heinrich's wife Mabel Böhler of Lugano, Switzerland. [11]
Rudolf Leopold of Vienna owned the painting from around 1963 to 1981, followed by art collector and dealer Sege Sabarsky of New York. [11] American art collector and entrepreneur Wendell Cherry acquired the piece from Sabarsky in 1988. [11] On 11 May 1994, the work was sold by Sotheby's for $11.6 million (with fees) as part of an auction of Cherry's collection. [2] Its sale, again by Sotheby's, on 27 June 2023 set an auction record for a work by Gustav Klimt, and was the highest price paid for an artwork in a public sale in Europe. [8]
The portrait has been exhibited publicly on only four occasions: in 1920 at the Vienna Kunstschau; in 1981 as part of a Gustav Klimt exhibition in museums and galleries in Tokyo, Osaka, Iwaki, and Yamanashi, Japan; in 1992 at the International Cultural Centre in Krakow, Poland; and from 2021 to 2022 at the Belvedere in Vienna. [11] [12]
Lady with a Fan | |
---|---|
German: Dame mit Fächer | |
![]() | |
Artist | Gustav Klimt |
Year | 1917–1918 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 100.2 cm × 100.2 cm (39.4 in × 39.4 in) |
Location | Private collection |
Lady with a Fan (German: Dame mit Fächer) was the final portrait created by Gustav Klimt. [1] Painted in 1917, the uncommissioned piece depicting an unidentified woman was on an easel in his studio when he died in 1918. [2] Like many of Klimt's late works, it incorporates strong Asian influences including many Chinese motifs. [3]
In June 2023, it sold at auction with Sotheby's in London for £85.3 million ($108.4 million, €99.2 million), the highest price ever achieved in Europe for a work of art. [4] [5] It was bought by art dealer Patti Wong on behalf of a Hong Kong collector. [4] [5]
The square painting depicts a woman with chestnut curls against a yellow backdrop with Oriental motifs. [6] [2] [7] [8] As she gazes into the distance to the left, her patterned silk robe is slipping off her shoulder and she holds a fan concealing her bosom. [6] [2]
The Chinese motifs in the background include a large flying phoenix, a symbol of immortality, rebirth, and good fortune, and bright pink lotus blossoms, which are associated with love and immutable beauty. [7] [6] [4] [3] A long-legged crane and a golden pheasant are also present. [3] The flatness of the background patterns evokes Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, [7] [4] while the colours imitate the chrome yellow, cobalt blue, and red ochre of enameled Chinese porcelain. [3] [6]
The identity of the sitter is unknown, with speculation that the model could be Johanna Staude, [2] Klimt's life companion Emilie Flöge, [9] or one of his favourite dancers. [3] According to the Belvedere Museum Vienna, the painting was exhibited under the title of Dancer (Tänzerin) shortly after it was created, suggesting that the model may have been a ballet or music hall dancer. [3]
Lady with a Fan has similarities with Klimt's portrait Wally, painted in 1916, in which the model's left shoulder is uncovered. [10] In Girlfriends or Two Women Friends (1916–1917), Klimt also painted a background with Oriental motifs, including a large phoenix. [10] Both paintings were destroyed in 1945 during the fire at Immendorf Castle. [10]
In contrast to Klimt's earlier works, Lady with a Fan is characterised by freer and more rapidly executed brushstrokes. [6] [3] While some art historians have suggested that the work was "unfinished", pointing out small patches of bare canvas such as where the model's upper arm meets her robe, [3] art critic Kelly Grovier argues that "flux and fragmentation" are what gives the painting its power, concluding that "Its unfinishedness is what completes it." [6]
Lady with a Fan was still on an easel in Klimt's studio, along with his unfinished work, The Bride, when he had a stroke and eventually died in early 1918. [3]
Following his death in February 1918, the painting was held by the gallery of Gustav Nebehay of Vienna. [11] By 1920, it had been bought by industrialist Erwin Böhler, who was a patron and friend of Klimt, along with his brother Heinrich who subsequently acquired it. [2] [11] In 1940, it was inherited by Heinrich's wife Mabel Böhler of Lugano, Switzerland. [11]
Rudolf Leopold of Vienna owned the painting from around 1963 to 1981, followed by art collector and dealer Sege Sabarsky of New York. [11] American art collector and entrepreneur Wendell Cherry acquired the piece from Sabarsky in 1988. [11] On 11 May 1994, the work was sold by Sotheby's for $11.6 million (with fees) as part of an auction of Cherry's collection. [2] Its sale, again by Sotheby's, on 27 June 2023 set an auction record for a work by Gustav Klimt, and was the highest price paid for an artwork in a public sale in Europe. [8]
The portrait has been exhibited publicly on only four occasions: in 1920 at the Vienna Kunstschau; in 1981 as part of a Gustav Klimt exhibition in museums and galleries in Tokyo, Osaka, Iwaki, and Yamanashi, Japan; in 1992 at the International Cultural Centre in Krakow, Poland; and from 2021 to 2022 at the Belvedere in Vienna. [11] [12]