- 129
Gustav Klimt
Estimate
180,000 - 250,000 USD
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Description
- Gustav Klimt
- Liegender Halbakt nach rechts (Reclining Semi-Nude Facing Right)
- Stamped faintly with the Nachlass mark (lower right)
- Colored crayon on paper
- 14 5/8 by 22 1/8 in.
- 37.1 by 56.1 cm
Provenance
Estate of the artist
Private Collection, Europe (acquired from the above and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 25, 2009, lot 112)
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman
Private Collection, Europe (acquired from the above and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 25, 2009, lot 112)
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman
Exhibited
Vienna, Christian M. Nebehay, Gustav Klimt, 40 auserwählte Zeichnungen, 1960, no. 34, illustrated in the catalogue
Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Art Autrichien du Vingtième Siècle, 1961, no. 90
Vienna, Albertina, Gustav Klimt, 1862-1918 zeichnungen, gedächtnisausstellung, 1962, no. 72
Darmstadt, Germany, Mathildenhöhe, 3. Internationale der Zeichnung: Sonderausstellung Gustav Klimt und Henri Matisse, 1970, no. 104, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Art Autrichien du Vingtième Siècle, 1961, no. 90
Vienna, Albertina, Gustav Klimt, 1862-1918 zeichnungen, gedächtnisausstellung, 1962, no. 72
Darmstadt, Germany, Mathildenhöhe, 3. Internationale der Zeichnung: Sonderausstellung Gustav Klimt und Henri Matisse, 1970, no. 104, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Literature
Christian Nebehay, Gustav Klimt Dokumentation, Vienna, 1969, illustrated in color pl. X
Christian Nebehay, Gustav Klimt, Sein Leben nach zeitgenössischen Berichten und Quellen, Munich, 1976, illustrated p. 192
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt, Die Zeichnungen 1912-1918, vol. III, Salzburg, 1984, no. 2260, illustrated p. 38
Rainer Metzger, Gustav Klimt, Drawings & Watercolours, London, 2005, no. 232, illustrated in color pp. 302-03
Christian Nebehay, Gustav Klimt, Sein Leben nach zeitgenössischen Berichten und Quellen, Munich, 1976, illustrated p. 192
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt, Die Zeichnungen 1912-1918, vol. III, Salzburg, 1984, no. 2260, illustrated p. 38
Rainer Metzger, Gustav Klimt, Drawings & Watercolours, London, 2005, no. 232, illustrated in color pp. 302-03
Condition
Executed on cream wove paper, hinged to the mount in the top two corners on verso. Sheet is floating in its mount. Apart from some faint creases throughout, a few faint spots of foxing and some discoloration to the sheet this work is in good original condition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Liegender Halbakt nach rechts is a wonderfully elegant image of a female semi-nude, which belongs to a series of studies for the painting Die Jungfrau from 1913. In contrast to Klimt's earlier renditions of the female nude, the present work bears signs of his artistic sophistication and maturity of style. The female's body is outlined in soft blue crayon, her left arm elegantly resting on her breast. The contrasting strong lines of ornamented drapery and the model's lasciviously lifted red skirt powerfully accessorize her overtly erotic pose and accentuate her delicate figure. Reclining diagonally across the sheet with her eyes closed, the sitter appears to be caught up in herself, seemingly unaware of being watched.
Rainer Metzger notes, "In the drawings, Klimt gives pride of his own gaze, the gaze of the artist and expert, the male and the master which is directed at the woman that he sketches. Accordingly, these women do not return the gaze. ... Klimt became nothing but an eye, nothing but a hand, purely from the feeling that moved and enraptured him, was in love with the nature of his subject and he let himself be carried away without restraint" (Rainer Metzger, Gustav Klimt, Drawings and Watercolours, London, 2005, p. 207).
Rainer Metzger notes, "In the drawings, Klimt gives pride of his own gaze, the gaze of the artist and expert, the male and the master which is directed at the woman that he sketches. Accordingly, these women do not return the gaze. ... Klimt became nothing but an eye, nothing but a hand, purely from the feeling that moved and enraptured him, was in love with the nature of his subject and he let himself be carried away without restraint" (Rainer Metzger, Gustav Klimt, Drawings and Watercolours, London, 2005, p. 207).