Gustav Klimt Art Prints & Posters

More about Gustav Klimt Art Prints & Posters

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most influential members of the Vienna Secession movement. He is best known for his unique and sensuous portraits, landscapes and erotic art. Born in 1862, Klimt was the second son of seven children, and his early art studies were supported and encouraged by his father, a gold engraver, who died when Klimt was just 14 years old.

Between 1880 and 1890, Klimt attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he absorbed the new artistic movements of the day, including Art Nouveau and Symbolism. In 1894, Klimt and other students of the Academy, who became known as the Vienna Secession, founded their own society to promote the new art styles which had been rejected by more traditionalists. Klimt was an avid advocate of the Secession, famously declaring that all "ages are merely episodes in the eternal struggle to regain the lost paradise."

Klimt's most famous works date from this period, most notably the decorative Style-Jugenstil canvases that he executed for public spaces around Vienna. These included the grand stairway panel at the University of Vienna and his masterpieces, the ‘Beethoven Frieze’, the ‘The Three Ages of Woman’, and his iconic ‘The Kiss’. He also achieved fame and commercial success with his portraits of society figures and admirers, such as the Austrian-American Adele Bloch-Bauer.

Klimt’s works are highly sought after today because of their unique, sensual and emotive qualities. His use of gold leaf and intricate Art Nouveau and Symbolist elements create a breathtaking beauty that’s both classical and modern at the same time. Klimt’s works are renown for their dreamlike imagery, which often expresses themes of desire, mortality, love and loss. Klimt also created beautiful landscape renditions of Austrian vistas.

Buying a piece of Klimt’s art can be an attractive and rewarding investment. The high aesthetic value and historical significance of his works make them a great investment with potential for appreciation over time. Prices can range from a few hundred dollars for limited edition prints to into the millions for museum-quality originals. Collectors can also buy Klimt paintings with more affordable prices in auctions, or from specialist galleries and websites.

Klimt’s popularity continues to endure, and new generations of admirers continue to appreciate his works. Whether you choose to own a small print or large canvas, or a postcard or a large poster, Gustav Klimt's art is not just a wonderful expression of beauty, but also a timeless and cherished piece of art history.