Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was born in Baumgarten near Vienna, he studied at the art school there, and received official commissions in Vienna until 1897. Klimt was the first President of the Vienna Secession, a modernist movement characterised by decorative line and respect for the two- dimensionality of the painted surface; he left the movement in 1904.
Klimt was the leading Viennese painter of the early 20th century, and influenced, amongst others, Egon Schiele. He was also important as a designer of architecture, furniture, and costume.
