A Klimt in his most private form, free from the confines of commissioned works, immersed in the tranquillity of the surrounding landscape... This is what is embodied in the work that will appear for the first time at auction at Sotheby's on 16 May, as part of the Modern Evening Auction.
Insel im Attersee (Island in the Attersee) was painted by the Austrian artist during one of his summers stays in the Salzkammergut region of lakes and alpine ranges in 1901-02, which represented for him a respite from the hectic life of Vienna. The bucolic panorama and the iridescent waters of Lake Attersee framed Gustav Klimt's en plein air painting, and the serenity of that period is imbued throughout the work.
See also: Gustav Klimt: Artist of Emotion and Eroticism
The artwork is characterised by Klimt's 'cutout' of the scene, in which the water of the lake is the protagonist, the horizon is placed at the top and the upper edge of the island is out of the frame. Light and water colour dominate the composition, weaving layers of textures in shimmering shades of green, blue and yellow. It almost seems that the lake reflects the artist's state of mind at that moment, in a kaleidoscope of emotions.
The work, which coincides with the artist's 'golden period', shows parallels with Impressionism and Pointillism, as well as influences derived from Japanese art.
See also: The Art of Plein Air Painting
The painting belonged to the collector and art historian Otto Kallir, a key figure in the dissemination of modern Austrian art in general – and of Klimt in particular – after the Second World War. Kallir was forced to flee Austria in 1938 following the Nazi invasion and found refuge in Switzerland and France. In Paris, he opened the Galerie St. Etienne and Insel im Attersee was among the works chosen for the inaugural exhibition. A second gallery was later opened in New York and the same painting was included in another important exhibition.
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Insel im Attersee is presented for the first time at a public auction and offers a unique look at Klimt's body of work. It is among the most expensive works that will go on sale next month in New York, with the impressive estimate of $45 million (£36 million).
