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Reclining Female Nude, Partially Covering Her Face with Her Upper Arms. Study for The Bride, c. 1917

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Pencil on Japanese paper
57×37 cm

Artists

  • Gustav Klimt

    (Baumgarten near Vienna/Vienna 1862–1918 Vienna)

Unfortunately not on display at the moment
For the painting The Bride, which Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) was working on in 1917/18 and was unable to finish, the artist created more than 100 known studies as well as a further 40 drafts contained in the sketchbook Klimt used in the second half of 1917. Six studies for the painting are housed today by the Leopold Museum. Alice Strobl associated the present work on paper, along with several further studies, with the partly covered female face with closed eyes found in the left half of the painting at face level to the right of the semi-nude shown from the back. According to Strobl, these studies are yet another testament to Klimt’s admiration for the art of El Greco (1541–1614), as indicated by the ecstatic posture of the elongated female nudes and the bold perspective from above. The drafts, executed around the same time, for the painting The Girlfriends II, including Two Standing Female Nudes, The Left with Raised Arms, also appear to have been influenced by El Greco.

FS

Object data

Artist/author
  • Gustav Klimt
Title
Reclining Female Nude, Partially Covering Her Face with Her Upper Arms. Study for The Bride
Date
c. 1917
Art movement
Symbolism, Art Nouveau
Category
Graphic work
Material​/technique
Pencil on Japanese paper
Dimensions
57×37 cm
Signature
Stamp (purple) lower left: GUSTAV KLIMT NACHLASS; designated lower right: S
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 1324
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: 2989
Keywords
woman/girlnudelying figure (fem.)the (nude) human figure (fem.)bent legshand(s) behind the head

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i

Nachlass Gustav Klimt, Wien (1918); (1)
Rudolf Staechelin, Basel (o.D.-1931); (2)
Rudolf Staechelin´sche Familienstiftung, Basel (1931-1977); (3)
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (1977-1994); (4)
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (1994).

  1. Nachlass-Stempel »GUSTAV / KLIMT / NACHLASS« vorne rechts unten
  2. Michael Wladika, Dossier zu 11 Blättern von Gustav Klimt mit der Provenienz Rudolf Staechelin vom 31.01.2018, S. 36 u. S. 60f.
  3. Stempel auf der Blattrückseite links unten: „Rud. Staechelin´sche Familienstiftung Inv. Nr. 272“
  4. Wladika, Dossier, S. 58.

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Search in collection

woman/girlnudelying figure (fem.)the (nude) human figure (fem.)bent legshand(s) behind the head