Einband rotes Skizzenbuch aussen Rückseite

About this artwork

Das in rotes Leder gebundene Skizzenbuch verwendet Gustav Klimt ab 1898. Es dient ihm dazu, seine spontanen Ideen aufzuzeichnen, und enthält unter anderem Skizzen zu den Werken Nuda Veritas (1899), Judith I (1901), Irrlichter (1903), Philosophie (1900) und Jurisprudenz (1903). Das Büchlein stammt aus dem Besitz von Sonja Knips – einer der prominentesten Auftraggeber*innen Klimts. In ihrem 1898 datierten Porträt hält Knips das Skizzenbuch in Händen. Der Künstler schenkt es ihr wohl im Zuge der Po...

Art Historical Context

Step into the private creative world of Gustav Klimt with this intimate red leather-bound sketchbook 1898, now treasured in the Belvedere Collection in Vienna. Measuring a compact 14.3 × 9.2 × 1.4 cm, this pocket-sized booklet captures the artist's spontaneous ideas through pencil sketches, notes, and even a black-and-white photograph. As a key figure in the Vienna Secession movement and Art Nouveau, Klimt used such notebooks to brainstorm boldly ornamental designs that defined his iconic style. The sketchbook brims with preliminary drawings for some of Klimt's most celebrated works, including *Nuda Veritas* (1899), *Judith I* (1901), *Irrlichter* (1903), *Philosophie* (1900), and *Jurisprudenz* (1903)—themes of truth, sensuality, and mysticism that would later shimmer in gold leaf on canvas. It once belonged to Sonja Knips, one of Klimt's foremost patrons, who cradles it in her hands in her 1898 portrait by the artist, suggesting he gifted it to her during their sessions. Remarkably rare today, this survivor stands among countless similar red sketchbooks that perished in a 1945 fire at Emilie Flöge's apartment. It offers a rare glimpse into Klimt's generative process, bridging his preparatory pencil strokes to the opulent masterpieces that revolutionized fin-de-siècle art.

About the Artist

Gustav Klimt · 1862–1918

Austrian painter and designer. One of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement, known for his decorative style and use of gold leaf.