Lady with Fan, Gustav Klimt’s Last Works, The Belvedere, Vienna: 25 March 2021-13 February 2022

Gustav Klimt's Lady with Fan, his last portrait of a woman, depicts a seductive unknown woman, who gazes out beyond the spectators with confidence and aplomb. This vibrant painting is exhibited along with other late works by Klimt in a special exhibition in the Upper Belvedere.

Shortly after Gustav Klimt's death in 1918, a photograph was taken in the artist's studio. It shows two paintings, each on an easel: Lady with Fan and The Bride, an unfinished work. Although The Bride has been on loan to the Belvedere for decades, the arrival of The Lady with Fan in Vienna represents an important addition to the exhibition of Gustav Klimt's work. 

This is the last painting he worked on in 1917. In this painting, contrary to his habit of painting society ladies, Klimt probably painted an unknown model. Its subject is a variation on one of his favourite themes: Viennese beauty. Lady with a Fan was only exhibited once in Vienna, more than a century ago, at the Kunstschau in 1920. The painting was temporarily part of the Rudolf Leopold collection. It was shown in a public exhibition in Tokyo in 1981 and in Krakow in 1992. Today, the painting is returning to Vienna, where it will be presented in a two-part exhibition at the Upper Belvedere.