Why it matters
Painted at the height of Klimt's 'Golden Period', The Kiss shows a couple entwined in patterned robes against a flat gold background, with added gold leaf, silver and platinum. It is considered a masterpiece of the Vienna Secession and probably Klimt's most important work.
Did you know?
- It was first exhibited in 1908 under the title Liebespaar (The Lovers).
- Klimt and his companion Emilie Flöge are thought to have modelled for it, though there is no firm evidence.
- The man wears a crown of vines, the woman a crown of flowers.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Kiss (Klimt) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
