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ONLINECOLLECTION

Reclining Female Semi-Nude with Raised Shirt from the Left; Above, a Head Study. Study for The Virgin, 1911/12

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Pencil on Japanese paper
37×55.8 cm

Artists

  • Gustav Klimt

    (Baumgarten near Vienna/Vienna 1862–1918 Vienna)

Unfortunately not on display at the moment
This depiction by Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) is part of the group of studies for the dreamy central figure from the 1913 painting The Virgin. With their bent, spread legs, their draperies hiked up to the chest and arms folded above the head, the models from this group seem to be giving themselves over to a pleasurable sense of relaxation. Some of these depictions, including the present one from the Leopold Museum, show the detail of a swirl decor that corresponds to the ornamentation of the dress worn by the painting’s main figure. This drawing additionally features a further head study, crossed out by the artist, on a level with the model’s head. This head study, rendered in half profile with closed eyes, is reminiscent of further profile depictions associated with the painting The Virgin.

Object data

Artist/author
  • Gustav Klimt
Title
Reclining Female Semi-Nude with Raised Shirt from the Left; Above, a Head Study. Study for The Virgin
Date
1911/12
Art movement
Symbolism, Art Nouveau
Category
Graphic work
Material​/technique
Pencil on Japanese paper
Dimensions
37×55.8 cm
Signature
Stamp (faded) lower right: GUSTAV KLIMT NACHLASS; head sketch upper left using pencil [crossed out]
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 1293
Inventory access
Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994
Selection of Reference works
  • Gustav Klimt. Jahrhundertkünstler, hrsg. von Hans-Peter Wipplinger/Sandra Tretter, Wien 2018 (Ausst.-Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien, 22.06.2018–04.11.2018).
  • Gustav Klimt. Die Sammlung im Leopold Museum, hrsg. von Tobias G. Natter/Elisabeth Leopold, Ostfildern 2013 (Bestandskatalog des Leopold Museum: Band 1).
  • Alice Strobl: Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen 1912-1918, Salzburg 1984.
Catalogue raisonne
  • Strobl Bd. 3/1984: 2256
Keywords

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i

Nachlass Gustav Klimt, Wien (1918); (1)
Helene Donner, Wien, (o.D.);
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (1957-1994); (2)
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (1994).

  1. Nachlass-Stempel »GUSTAV / KLIMT / NACHLASS« vorne rechts unten
  2. Sonja Niederacher, Dossier zu Gustav Klimt. 26 Zeichnungen aus dem Eigentum von Helene Donner, 31.01.2018, S. 2f. und S. 14

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