Neue Galerie New York
February 15 - May 6, 2024
Gustav Klimt, Park at Kammer Castle, 1909, oil on canvas. Neue Galerie New York. This work is part
of the collection of Estée Lauder and was made available through the generosity of Estée Lauder.
Neue Galerie New York is delighted
to present “Klimt Landscapes,” opening on February 15, 2024. This major
exhibition of Gustav Klimt's (1862–1918) idyllic depictions in the landscape
genre, on view through May 6, 2024, will feature significant paintings made
while the artist was on his Sommerfrische (summer holiday) in the Austrian
countryside. "Klimt Landscapes" will present highlights from Neue Galerie
New York's holdings, such as Park at Kammer Castle (1909) and
Forester’s
House in Weissenbach II (Garden) (1914), alongside important loans from
museums and private collections in Europe and the United States,
including works from the Harvard Art Museums, the Museum of Modern Art,
and the Wien Museum.
For the last twenty years of his career, Klimt devoted
considerable energy to painting landscapes during his summer vacations on
the Attersee in the Salzkammergut region of Austria, known for its tranquil
lakes. Created purely for his own pleasure, these bucolic scenes became
among his most sought-after pictures and were highly coveted by collectors.
Most were made in a square format—a reflection of his fascination with
photography.
This special exhibition will examine Klimt’s landscapes within the context of
his larger oeuvre and trace the evolution of his style from one informed by
historicism and the academic tradition, to an embrace of Symbolist
tendencies. After the founding of the Vienna Secession in 1897, Klimt
became a leading proponent of the modern movement. He spent a decade
exploring the ideal of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) and his
approach evolved during this period to become more decorative and ornate,
culminating in his Golden Style. Thereafter, he shifted to a more painterly
manner of working in pure color and one influenced by French artists, in
particular.
Klimt’s landscapes will be situated alongside the rare print portfolio, Das
Werk Gustav Klimts, as well as photography, fashion, and the decorative arts
of the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops).
The exhibition will also
consider Klimt’s relationship with his sister-in-law, fashion designer Emilie
Unknown photographer, Emilie Flöge and Gustav Klimt in a rowboat on the Attersee, 1910
Courtesy Asenbaum Photo Archive, Vienna
Flöge, who was a lifelong friend and trusted confidante; his deep engagement
with the Viennese avant-garde; and the techniques he employed to achieve
mesmerizing, harmonious works that literally shimmer with color and light.
Neue Galerie New York is renowned for its resplendent Klimt Gallery, which
permanently features works from all periods of the artist's career, including
his 1907 Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I, a masterpiece of Klimt’s Golden
Style. Few paintings have captured the public's imagination as thoroughly as
the so-called “Woman in Gold,” and for this reason Klimt is most admired for
his sensual portraits of women. Klimt was a central figure in the cultural life of
Vienna at the fin de siècle, and this major show will situate his work in an
interdisciplinary context to help yield new insights and understanding about
his considerable artistic achievements and contributions.
RELATED PUBLICATION
A fully illustrated catalogue, published by Neue Galerie New York and
Prestel, accompanies the exhibition. It is edited by Janis Staggs, with a
preface by Ronald S. Lauder and a foreword by Renée Price. The publication
features essays by leading scholars in their respective fields,
including Shawn Digney-Peer, Monika Faber, Kathrin Pallestrang, Janis
Staggs, and Yagna Yass-Alston.Bill Loccisano designed the publication.