The Kiss
1908–1909 · Oil and gold leaf on canvas · Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
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About this work
- Artist
- Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)
- Year
- 1908–1909
- Medium
- Oil and gold leaf on canvas
- Original size
- 180 × 180 cm
- Collection
- Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
- Movement
- Vienna Secession
A couple kneels on a flowered bank at the edge of a gold void, the man bending to kiss the woman's cheek while his patterned robe of black and grey rectangles folds around her gown of circles and blossoms. Klimt painted the square canvas in Vienna in 1907 and 1908, at the height of what is called his golden period, applying real gold and silver leaf over the oil paint. The Austrian state bought it in 1908 before the work was even finished, and it has hung in the Belvedere ever since. The pose, the flattened ornament and the shimmering ground draw on Byzantine mosaics Klimt had seen in Ravenna, while the embrace itself is tender and specific. It remains the defining image of the Vienna Secession.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Gold leaf and dense pattern want to be the only thing on the wall: over a bed or living-room sofa at 24×36, on a deep green, charcoal or plum ground. A slim black frame lets the gold do the work; skip the mat.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Vienna Secession painting
- Era
- 20th century (1908–1909)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- gold, cream & beige
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, bedroom, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
- Good gift for
- housewarming, anniversary, her, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Kiss in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Kiss painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
