Over a century after his death, Viennese artistGustav Klimt(18621918) still startles with his unabashed eroticism, dazzling surfaces, and artistic experimentation. This monograph gathers all ofKlimts major worksalongside authoritative art historical commentary and privilegedaccess to the artists archive.

With top quality illustration, includingnew photography of the celebrated Stoclet Frieze,the book follows Klimt through his prominent role in theSecessionist movementof 1897, his candid rendering of the female body, and hislustrous golden phasewhen gold leaf brought a shimmering tone and texture to such beloved works asThe KissandPortrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I,also known asThe Woman in Gold.

Through luminous spreads andcarefully curated details, the monograph traces the repertoire ofJapanese, Byzantine, and allegorical stimulithat informed Klimts flattened perspectives, his symbolic vocabulary, and his mosaic-like textures. Drawing upon contemporary critics and voices, the book also examinesthe art worlds polarized reception to Klimts picturesas much as his own stylistic trajectory. From his landscape painting to erotic works to thecontroversial ceiling for the Great Hall of the University of Vienna,we see how Klimts admixture of tradition and daring divided the press and publicbecried by some as a pornographer, hailed by others as a modern maestro.