Gustav Klimt

Estate of the artist
Acquired from the above by the family of the present owner

Darmstadt, Mathildenhöhe, 3. Internationale der Zeichnung, Sonderausstellung Gustav Klimt und Henri Matisse, 1970, no. 183, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Hamburg, Kunsthalle, Experiment Weltuntergang, Wien um 1900, 1981, no. 56, illustrated in the catalogue

Walter Koschatzky, Gustav Klimt, 25 Zeichnungen ausgewählt und bearbeitet von Alice Strobl, Graz & Vienna, 1964, illustrated pl. 22
Giuseppe Lo Duca, Die Erotik im 20. Jahrhundert, Basel, 1967
Giuseppe Lo Duca, Eros im Bild, Munich, Basel & Vienna, 1968, illustrated p. 78
Alfred Werner, Gustav Klimt: One Hundred Drawings, New York, 1972, no. 94, illustrated
Otto Breicha (ed.), Gustav Klimt. Die goldene Pforte: Werk, Wesen, Wirkung, Salzburg, 1978, no. 150, illustrated p. 182
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt, Die Zeichnungen, 1912-1918, Salzburg, 1989, vol. III, no. 2435, illustrated pp. 51 & 77
Christian M. Nebehay, Gustav Klimt. From Drawing to Painting, Vienna, 1994, no. 312, illustrated in colour p. 261
Rainer Metzger, Gustav Klimt, Drawings & Watercolours, London, 2005, no. 207, illustrated in colour p. 267

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount at the top two corners, floating in the mount. There is a nailhead-sized nick to the upper right edge, and a tiny tear near the lower left corner. Apart from some light flattened creases to the centre of the lower edge and some glue residue to the reverse of the upper left edge, this work is in very good condition. Colours: The paper tone is warmer in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Liegender Mädchenakt nach links is one of the finest examples from a series of works depicting reclining female nudes which Klimt executed between 1914 and 1915. In the present drawing, the female's figure is silhouetted in soft pencil, her left hand elegantly posed on her torso whilst her left arm is coyly bent towards her face. The contrasting strong lines of the ornamented drapery and her curly hair brilliantly accessorise the model's lasciviously overt erotic pose and accentuate her expressive eyes whilst the delicacy and suppleness of execution suggest the artist's intensive engagement with his model. Reclining diagonally across the picture plane, the sitter seems to be in an almost absent state of mind, portrayed as if in trance whilst her piercing gaze is directed towards the viewer, who is immediately drawn into the intimate scene.

As evident in the present work, the strong connection to physical reality seems to suggest that, along with many inspirations from other visual arts, photography may have played an important role. 'This suspicion', as Marian Bisanz-Prakken argued, 'was triggered by my more or less chance encounter with the 1912 popular science publication Die Schönheit des Menschen: Ihr Schauen, Bilden und Bekleiden (The Beauty of Humans: Appearance, Form, and Attire), by Johannes Grosse' (M. Bisanz-Prakken, 'Gustav Klimt: The Late Work', in Reneé Price (ed.), Gustav Klimt. The Ronald S. Lauder and Serge Sabarsky Collections, New York, 2007, p. 110).