The Tree of Life
by Gustav Klimt, 1909
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1909
- Medium
- Various media on paper
- Size
- 195 cm × 102 cm
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Gustav Klimt created The Tree of Life between 1905 and 1911 as the central element of the Stoclet Frieze, a monumental mosaic commission for a Brussels mansion. The swirling tree spirals across the composition, its branches becoming elaborate volutes studded with symbolic motifs: eyes, triangles, birds, and flowers.
Belgian financier Adolphe Stoclet and his wife Suzanne hired architect Josef Hoffmann and the Wiener Werkstätte collective to design their new home. Klimt received the commission for the dining room frieze. His preparatory drawings, done at 1:1 scale, were executed as mosaics using enamel, mother-of-pearl, coral, and gold leaf. Only the finest materials were acceptable.
The preparatory paintings measure 195 by 102 centimeters and are housed at MAK Vienna (Museum of Applied Arts). The actual mosaic frieze remains in the Palais Stoclet, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009 that's still privately owned and rarely accessible. This project represents Klimt's most ambitious decorative work, blending Art Nouveau, Byzantine, Egyptian, and Japanese influences.
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About The Tree of Life
The original design is part of a mosaic frieze at the Palais Stoclet in Brussels, a private residence not open to the public. Studies and cartoons are at the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) in Vienna. Klimt designed it between 1905 and 1911.
A spiraling tree with golden branches fills a decorative panel. On one side, a standing woman (sometimes identified as Expectation) faces the tree. On the other, a couple embraces (Fulfillment). The tree connects all figures in a continuous decorative flow. The spiraling branches symbolize eternal growth and connection.
Belgian industrialist Adolphe Stoclet commissioned Klimt to create a mosaic dining room decoration for his Brussels mansion, designed by architect Josef Hoffmann. The frieze uses marble, gold, silver, coral, and enamel. It's one of the most ambitious decorative art projects of the early 20th century.
The complete frieze spans the walls of the Stoclet dining room, approximately 2 meters tall and 8 meters long across multiple panels. The Tree of Life occupies the longest wall. Klimt's working drawings at the MAK museum measure about 197 cm × 102 cm each.
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