Lot 155
  • 155

GUSTAV KLIMT | Kauernder Akt nach rechts mit langen Haaren (Crouching Nude with Long Hair Seen from the Right)

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
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Description

  • Gustav Klimt
  • Kauernder Akt nach rechts mit langen Haaren (Crouching Nude with Long Hair Seen from the Right)
  • inscribed Gustav Klimt by another hand (lower left)
  • coloured pencil on paper
  • 55.2 by 35cm., 21 3/4 by 13 3/4 in.
  • Executed in 1910-11.

Provenance

Private Collection, Austria (sale: Christie's, London, 11th October 2001, lot 2)
Private Collection (purchased at the above sale)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Literature

Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt, Die Zeichnungen Nachtrag, 1978-1918, Salzburg, 1989, vol. IV, no. 3634, illustrated pp. 167 & 170

Condition

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down and attached to the mount in three places along the upper edge. The sheet is lightly time stained and there is evidence of handling marks, primarily along the lower edge. There is a fine cut measuring 1cm long towards the upper part of the extreme left edge which is not visible when framed. There are some minor creases to the sheet primarily towards the edges, including across the lower right. This work is in overall good 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Gustave Klimt’s Kauernder Akt nach rechts mit langen Haaren depicts a smiling girl gazing over her shoulder to confront the viewer. Echoes of this distinctive pose can be found in Klimt’s 1901 masterpiece Goldfische, in the Kunstmuseum Solothurn, depicting a nude näiad in a similar pose, her hair loose and full of movement floating in the gilt background whilst she stares invitingly into the viewer’s eyes. The painting was aptly titled An meine Kritiker (To My Critics) and served as a response to the criticism that had been levelled at Klimt’s Philosophie and Medizin paintings (1899-1903) executed for the Great Hall of Vienna University.