Where can I see The Kiss by Klimt?

It's at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, Austria. The Austrian government purchased it in 1908, the same year it was exhibited. It's been in Vienna ever since and is the Belvedere's most famous work.

What technique did Klimt use for The Kiss?

Gustav Klimt applied gold leaf over oil paint on canvas, a technique inspired by Byzantine mosaics he saw during a trip to Ravenna, Italy. The gold creates a flat, decorative surface that contrasts with the realistic faces and hands of the two figures.

The painting measures 180 cm × 180 cm (about 6 × 6 feet). It's a perfect square. Klimt worked on it during his 'Golden Phase' (roughly 1899-1910), when he incorporated gold and silver leaf into many of his most celebrated works.

Who are the figures in The Kiss?

Klimt never identified them. Some art historians believe the man is a self-portrait of Klimt and the woman is his longtime companion Emilie Flöge. Others see the figures as universal, representing love itself. The woman kneels at the edge of a cliff, adding a subtle element of danger to the embrace.

What art movement does The Kiss represent?

It's associated with Vienna Secession and Symbolism. Klimt co-founded the Vienna Secession in 1897 as a break from conservative academic art. The Kiss blends Symbolist themes of love and desire with decorative, almost abstract patterning influenced by Japanese and Byzantine art.

Where to See The Kiss: Upper Belvedere, Belvedere Museum

The Kiss

by Gustav Klimt, 1908

StyleSymbolism

MediumOil Canvas

Palette

Year: 1908
Medium: Oil and gold leaf on canvas
Size: 180 cm × 180 cm
Gallery: Upper Belvedere

Estimated Value

$150M

Expert estimate

That's 3 superyachts

Find It In The Museum

Upper Belvedere

Belvedere Museum, Vienna

Part of the permanent collection

Buy Tickets

Where to See It

Belvedere Museum

Vienna, Austria

Permanently housed

Gustav Klimt painted The Kiss between 1907 and 1908, at the height of his Golden Period. A couple embraces on a flower-covered cliff edge. The man bends to kiss the woman's cheek; her eyes close in rapture. Their bodies dissolve into a single shape wrapped in gold and geometric patterns.

The Austrian government bought the painting before Klimt finished it, paying 25,000 crowns, five times higher than any previous painting sold in Vienna. It was exhibited in 1908 at the Kunstschau, a building Klimt helped design, during celebrations for Emperor Franz Joseph's sixtieth anniversary. The work became an instant icon.

At 180 by 180 centimeters, the canvas is a perfect square, unusual for its era. It now hangs at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. Klimt combined oil paint with gold leaf, silver, and platinum, drawing on Byzantine mosaics he'd seen in Ravenna. His father and brother had been metalworkers, so gold carried personal meaning. This remains the most famous work of the Vienna Secession movement.

Historical Significance

Klimt's most famous work and a symbol of Vienna Secession, celebrated for its gold leaf decoration.

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The Kiss