Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Mit nach hinten gesenktem Kopf und geschlossenen Augen is part of a series of fine preparatory drawings for Klimt's mosaic friezes of the main dining room of the Stoclet Palace in Brussels. Commissioned from Josef Hoffmann, one of the leading architects of the Viennese Secession movement, by the banker and art collector Adolphe Stoclet and his wife Suzanne, the building is considered to be an Art Nouveau masterpiece.

The present drawing is a study for the motif of the entwined couple, whose final image, in full-scale design is now located at the Museum für angewandte Kunst in Vienna (Die Erfüllung, 1905-1909). Klimt would revisit the motif soon afterwards in his famous painting Der Kuss, 1908-1909, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, which demonstrates that this drawing relates to one of the most iconic images created by the artist.