Gustav Klimt – Biography, Paintings and Death of the Austrian Symbolist

When discussing the great figures of modern art, Gustav Klimt stands apart. The Austrian symbolist painter, a leading member of the Vienna Secession, transformed the canvas with gold leaf, erotic symbolism, and a decorative style that defined an era. His life was as layered as his most famous work, The Kiss, and his death marked the end of a golden age in Viennese culture.

Born on July 14, 1862, in Baumgarten, a suburb of Vienna, Klimt was the second of seven children. His father was a gold engraver, a craft that would later influence the artist’s signature use of gold leaf. After training at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, Klimt began a successful career painting murals and decorative works for public buildings. But by 1897, he had grown impatient with academic conservatism and co-founded the Vienna Secession, a movement that championed modern, experimental art.

Klimt’s work, particularly from his “Golden Period” (roughly 1901–1908), remains instantly recognisable. Yet despite his fame, parts of his personal life — including his long relationship with fashion designer Emilie Flöge — continue to be debated by historians. His death in 1918, at the age of 55, was sudden and tied to the global influenza pandemic that swept Europe. What follows is a fact-based look at the man, the art, and the legacy.

Who Was Gustav Klimt? A Biography of the Austrian Symbolist

Key insights about Klimt’s life and work:

• Klimt was a founding member of the Vienna Secession, which sought to break from traditional academic art.
• His “Gold Phase” (c. 1900–1910) was heavily influenced by Byzantine mosaics and Japanese art.
• The Kiss is arguably the most reproduced painting in Western art, yet its exact meaning remains debated among scholars.
• Klimt died of complications from a stroke and pneumonia; his death marked the end of an era for Viennese modernism.
• Despite controversy over his erotic depictions, Klimt profoundly influenced younger artists like Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka.

Essential facts about Gustav Klimt:

How Did Gustav Klimt Die? The Final Years of the Artist

What Was Klimt’s Cause of Death?

On January 6, 1918, Klimt suffered a stroke that left him partially paralysed. While hospitalised, he contracted pneumonia — likely linked to the 1918 flu pandemic then ravaging Europe. He died exactly one month later, on February 6, 1918, at the age of 55. His body was interred at Hietzing Cemetery in Vienna. These medical facts are drawn from multiple sources, including the Klimt Gallery biography and the Klimt Foundation on Google Arts & Culture.

What Were Klimt’s Last Works?

Klimt continued working into 1917, though his output slowed after the stroke. His final completed works include Death and Life (which he had reworked in 1915) and several unfinished portraits. The Leopold Museum in Vienna holds Death and Life, a painting that encapsulates his lifelong meditation on mortality.

What Are Gustav Klimt’s Most Famous Paintings?

The Kiss (1907–1908)

Perhaps the most recognisable work in Western art, The Kiss (Liebespaar) depicts a couple embracing, wrapped in gold-leaf robes. It hangs at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. Scholars debate its meaning: some see it as a celebration of romantic union, others as an expression of the spiritual merging of two souls. What is certain is that Klimt used Byzantine-inspired gold leaf to create a luminous, otherworldly surface.

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907)

Known as the “Gold Lady,” this portrait of a Viennese socialite is a masterpiece of the Golden Period. Its background is entirely covered in gold leaf, incorporating Egyptian and Byzantine motifs. The painting was sold in 2006 for $135 million, at the time a record price. It was formerly housed at the Neue Galerie in Berlin.

Death and Life (1908–1915)

This allegorical work, now at the Leopold Museum, divides the canvas into two halves. On the left, Death appears as a grim reaper in a dark robe decorated with crosses. On the right, a cluster of human figures — mother, child, lovers, an elderly woman — represent the cycle of life. Notably, Klimt originally painted a gold background but repainted it grey in 1915 to intensify the contrast between death and life. The Gustav-Klimt.com analysis notes that this change was meant to heighten the drama.

Other Notable Works

Pallas Athene (1898), housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, marks Klimt’s first major use of gold. Judith I (1901) is an early Golden Phase work that depicts the biblical heroine in a sensual, commanding pose. Both illustrate the artist’s evolving style toward flat, symbolic compositions.

What Is Gustav Klimt’s Art Style?

The Golden Period (c. 1900–1910)

Klimt’s use of gold leaf was directly inspired by Byzantine mosaics he saw during a 1903 visit to Ravenna, Italy. He applied gold to create flat, decorative backgrounds that eliminated depth and perspective, forcing the viewer to focus on pattern and symbolism. This technique reached its peak in The Kiss and the Beethoven Frieze.

Vienna Secession and Art Nouveau

As a co-founder of the Vienna Secession in 1897, Klimt rejected the academic historiography that dominated Austrian painting. The Secessionists promoted a total work of art (Gesamtkunstwerk), integrating architecture, painting, and design. Klimt’s style is often classified as part of the broader Art Nouveau movement, though his work retained a distinctly personal, erotic quality.

Symbolism and Meaning

Klimt’s paintings are dense with symbols: circles, spirals, phallic shapes, and floral motifs. The Tree of Life — a recurring motif — represents continuity, growth, and the cycle of existence. Yet, as scholars note, the exact meaning of many works remains open to interpretation. The artist himself was famously reticent, once saying: “Whoever wants to know something about me … ought to look carefully at my pictures.”

What Were the Key Events in Gustav Klimt’s Life?

1. 1862 — Born in Baumgarten, Vienna, to a gold engraver and a musician.
2. 1876 — Awarded a scholarship to the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts.
3. 1888 — Received the Golden Order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef for murals.
4. 1897 — Co-founds the Vienna Secession, resigning from the conservative Artists’ Association.
5. 1902 — Completes the Beethoven Frieze, a massive public mural.
6. 1908 — Exhibits The Kiss at the Kunstschau, gaining international fame.
7. 1918 — Dies from a stroke and pneumonia; buried at Hietzing Cemetery, Vienna.

What Is Known and What Remains Unclear About Klimt?

What Was the Cultural Context of Klimt’s Vienna?

Klimt worked during a period of extraordinary intellectual ferment in Vienna. Sigmund Freud was developing psychoanalysis, Gustav Mahler was composing, and architects like Adolf Loos were rethinking the city’s aesthetic. This climate of exploration — of the mind, of sexuality, of ornament — directly shaped Klimt’s art. Many critics see the erotic symbolism in his paintings as a reflection of the emerging science of sexuality. The Secession movement, meanwhile, was part of a broader European Art Nouveau wave, yet Klimt’s work remains uniquely personal and decorative, standing apart even from his contemporaries.

What Are Some Notable Quotes About Gustav Klimt?

“All art is erotic.”

— Gustav Klimt (attributed)

“Klimt was a master of the decorative and the symbolic, merging the spiritual with the sensuous.”

— The National Gallery, London

“Whoever wants to know something about me … ought to look carefully at my pictures.”

— Gustav Klimt (attributed)

What Is the Legacy of Gustav Klimt?

Gustav Klimt’s influence extends far beyond his short life. His bold use of gold, his celebration of the female form, and his integration of eroticism into high art paved the way for Expressionists like Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. Today, his paintings draw millions of visitors to Vienna’s museums each year. For those eager to delve deeper, a Guide to Vienna Art Museums offers practical tips for seeing his works in person.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gustav Klimt