Seated Lady (Adele Bloch-Bauer)

Artist: Gustav Klimt, Austrian, 1862–1918
Depicted: Adele Bloch-Bauer, Austrian, 1881–1925
Date: 1903
Material: Black chalk on packing paper
made in: Austria, Europe
Classification: Drawings & watercolors
Collection: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sheet (irregular): 17 9/16 x 12 3/8 in. (44.6 x 31.4 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Vincent L. Price Jr.
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 236:1995

NOTES

Clear contours and energetic lines compose this figure study of a seated woman in a gown by Gustav Klimt. The woman’s head and face are almost an afterthought; the top of her head is cut off by the edge of the page while her facial features are all but eliminated. Yet her head and body form a pyramidal structure, anchoring the figure in place. This arrangement contrasts with the freely flowing lines that make up the fabric of her dress.

This drawing is one of hundreds of studies executed by Klimt for his 1907 painting of the Viennese art patron and philanthropist Adele Bloch-Bauer. While her position in this drawing is different from the final work, Klimt’s later style of decorative lines and geometric structure begins to become apparent in the study.

Provenance

Private Collection, Austria [1]

Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA, USA [2]

by 1983 - 1995
Vincent L. Price Jr. (1911–1993), and Coral Browne (1913-1991), St. Louis, MO, USA; Vincent L. Price Jr. Family Trust [3]

1995 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Vincent L. Price Jr. [4]

Notes:
[1] A stamp from the Federal Monuments Office (BDA) in Vienna is on the verso of the sheet. The text in the stamp reads, “Vom Bundesdenkmalamt zur Ausfuhr Freigegeben” or “Approved for Export by the Federal Monuments Office,” encircling an illegible coat of arms. According to the FAQ page on the BDA’s website, “the stamp . . . only confirms that the item was released for export at an earlier time.”

[2] A label from the Nielsen Gallery from the back of the original frame shows that this drawing was #4934 in their inventory [SLAM document files].

[3] A handwritten note from the backing paper of the frame reads: “Given to Coral at Xmas as a present 1983” [SLAM document files]. Coral Browne was Vincent Price’s wife. The drawing is no. 31 in the catalogue for an exhibition and sale of works from the Vincent Price collection [“Old and Modern Master Drawings and Watercolors from the Personal Collection of Vincent Price,” Aldis Browne Fine Arts, Venice, CA, 1988, no. 31]. A typed price list attached to the back of the catalogue notes that the drawing was “sold.” The drawing was in the possession of the Vincent L. Price Jr. Family Trust following Vincent Price’s death in 1993, so the work may have been marked as "sold" to prevent inquiries from potential buyers.

[4] Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 15, 1995.

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We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.

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