J. Paul Getty Museum Acquires Klimt Drawings and Carriera Pastel
By STAN PARCHIN
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Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862-1918). Portrait of a Young Woman Reclining (1897-98). Black chalk. 45.5 x 31.5 cm (17 15/16 x 12 3/8 in.). J. Paul Getty Museum. |
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| Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862-1918). Two Studies of a Seated Woman with Long Hair (ca. 1901-02). Black chalk and red pencil. 31.7 x 45.2 cm (12 1/2 x 17 13/16 in.). J. Paul Getty Museum. |
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| Rosalba Carriera (Italian, 1673-1757). Sir James Gray, 2nd Baronet (ca. 1744-45). Pastel on paper. 56 x 45.8 cm (22 1/16 x 18 1/16 in.). J. Paul Getty Museum. |
November 17, 2009
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California announced today the acquisition of two drawings by Austrian Symbolist artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) and a pastel portrait by Venetian Rococo painter Rosalba Carriera (1673-1757). The distinctively framed works are currently on view in the Getty Center's South Pavilion Pastel Gallery. They're displayed with three compositions by Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789), Maurice-Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788) and Odilon Redon (1840-1916).
Drawings by Klimt
Gustav Klimt's Portrait of a Young Woman Reclining (1897-98) was executed when he and 18 other artists formed the Vienna Secession, a group of painters, sculptors and architects who rejected the conservatism of traditional academic art. The drawing's subject (perhaps the notable socialite Sonja Knips) engages the viewer with a listless gaze while lying across an upholstered chaise longue. The work's dreamlike eroticism is characteristic of Klimt's overall oeuvre. The absence of a related painting strongly suggests that the drawing was conceived as an independent portrait.
Two Studies of a Seated Nude with Long Hair (ca. 1901-02) demonstrates Klimt's enduring fascination with the female form. The signed sketches, made in preparation for the painting Goldfish (1901-02), were created when the artist, in a rather unorthodox fashion, employed nude models to strike spontaneous poses for him to draw while they lounged around his studio.
Pastel Portrait by Carriera
Italian painter Rosalba Carriera excelled in pastel portraiture at an early age. She received numerous commissions from international patrons throughout her lifetime, among them France's King Louis XV (r. 1715-1774) and Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony (r. 1733-1763). Carriera tragically lost her eyesight in 1746, making Sir James Gray, 2nd Baronet (ca. 1744-45) one of her last completed works. The well-traveled British diplomat's image was captured while the dilettante resided in Venice. Carriera's careful crayon strokes reveal the texture of his velvet jacket, his shirt's delicate lace and the folds of his solitaire, the black ribbon that ties his hair together. Attention is paid to Gray's own locks beneath his powdered wig.
Carriera's portrait of Gray remained in his descendants' possession until last year.