
Gustav Klimt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
by Gustav Klimt, 1907
Private Sale / Geneva
January 1, 2013
Yves Bouvier
Dmitry Rybolovlev
Gustav Klimt created this Wasserschlangen II (Water Serpents II) between 1904 and 1907, one of the defining works of his celebrated Golden Phase. The painting depicts two sensuous female figures intertwined in a dreamlike underwater sphere, their bodies merging with serpents amid flowing hair and ornate jewelry. Klimt combined oil paint with gold and silver leaf on canvas, creating a luminous surface that shimmers like precious metalwork.
The composition explores themes of transformation, sensuality, and the subconscious through mythological water-dwelling figures. Klimt's ability to address taboo subjects through allegorical treatment made him a central figure in the Vienna Secession, the movement that broke from academic tradition to embrace decorative arts and symbolism.
The painting belonged to Jewish collector Jenny Steiner until the Nazis confiscated it when she fled Vienna in 1938. After decades in various collections, Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev acquired it in 2013 for $183.8 million, making it the most expensive Klimt ever sold. The work stands as a landmark of Art Nouveau luxury and early modernist experimentation.
Other masterpieces from the Symbolism movement

James Ensor
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp

Léon Spilliaert
Private Collection, Unknown

Léon Spilliaert, 1908
Mu.ZEE, Ostend

Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki

Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki, Helsinki

Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki, Helsinki

Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation, Mänttä, Mänttä

James Ensor, 1889
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection