From Library Journal
This lavish book invites the reader to step into late 19th-century Vienna, with its intricately detailed social life and sumptuous luxury, not unlike the work of the artist who is the book's focus. The author, who knew Klimt in his last years and is a noted Klimt scholar, has brought together the paintings and the drawings from which they emerged in a way that enriches our knowledge of the artist and enhances the visual impact of his work. Using original sources, newly uncovered material, and a wealth of personal photographs, Nebehay provides a look into the major influence of Klimt upon his fellow artists and upon his society: his role as the first president of the Vienna Secession; his place in the lives of his students, among them Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka; and his interaction with all the major figures of this most dangerously intoxicating and exhilarating time. The book conveys the passions that were the subject of Klimt's work and his life. Highly recommended.
Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Why do we need yet another book on Klimt, the ultimate fin de si{Š}ecle artist? Because Klimt's gilt, stylized, and romantically sensual images are as spellbinding as ever, and Nebehay, who knew the artist, offers an illuminating behind-the-finished-canvas analysis of Klimt's most famous work. Nebehay places Klimt within the context of Vienna's cultural revolution, which nurtured everything from architecture to music. Klimt's interest in fashion, design, and theater as well as fine art led to close and productive relationships with other artists and opinion makers. Nebehay explores these associations in detail as he traces Klimt's artistic and personal evolution, but the most exciting aspect of this handsome volume is the juxtaposition of Klimt's rarely reproduced drawings and paintings. The underlying impetus for and structure of his elaborate canvases are revealed in Klimt's spontaneous, elegantly direct, and often even sexier sketches. While not essential, this is a worthy addition to in-depth art collections. Donna Seaman
