Displaying items by tag: university of vienna

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, today announced the acquisition of Gustav Klimt’s Die Medizin (Kompositionsentwurf) (1897-1898), the artist’s only remaining oil study for a controversial series of monumental paintings created for the University of Vienna’s Great Hall. Commissioned by Austria’s Ministry of Culture and Education in 1894, Die Medizin is one of three allegorical panels representing the themes of enlightenment Klimt developed for the Great Hall’s ceiling. All three works were later destroyed by retreating German SS forces in May 1945. Blending elements of neo-Baroque and Secessionist aesthetics, the work captures the emergence of Klimt’s iconic style and unconventional treatment of subject matter and themes. Representing a seminal moment in the artist’s development, this acquisition is the first painting by Klimt to enter the collection, joining several works on paper. It is on display in the Museum’s 19th century, Impressionist, and Post-Impressionist galleries, within the context of the Museum’s presentation of fine art from the Renaissance through the 20th century.

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) is considered one of the most innovative artists of the early 20th century for his distinct style, which joined gold leaf and ornamentation in rich figurative compositions. In 1897, he became one of the founding members and president of the Vienna Secession, whose aim was to break away from historicism by providing a platform for unconventional young artists through exhibitions and publications.

Artur Rosenauer, an art historian at the University of Vienna, has discovered a previously unknown painting by the Venetian painter Titian. Rosenauer revealed his findings in the October issue of Burlington Magazine, one of the foremost publications devoted to the fine and decorative arts.

The Risen Christ, which Rosenauer describes as having “brilliant use of colour and consummate command of composition,” once belonged to the von Bülow family, which included Bernhard Heinrich von Bülow, the chancellor of Germany during the early 20^th century. The painting currently resides in a private European collection.

Rosenauer, who deemed the painting “astonishingly well preserved,” dated The Risen Christ to around 1511 as it relates to other works by Titian from the same period.