About Gustav Klimt Zip Pouch – Met Museum – Portrait of Mäda Primavesi (1912-13)
This handy and colorful transfer-printed Gustav Klimt Zip Pouch by the Met Museum celebrates a beloved work by the Vienna Secessionist artist “Portrait of Mäda Primavesi” (1912-13) part of the Met Museum’s collection. This 1912–13 canvas by Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862–1918) attests to the sophisticated taste of the banker and industrialist Otto Primavesi and his wife Eugenia, both ardent supporters of progressive Viennese art and design who commissioned Klimt to paint their daughter, Mäda. Mäda Primavesi’s expression and posture convey a remarkable degree of confidence for a nine-year-old girl, even one who was, by her own account, willful and a tomboy. Klimt made numerous preliminary sketches for this portrait, experimenting with different poses, outfits, and backgrounds before deciding to show Mäda standing tall in a specially-made dress amid a profusion of springlike patterns. The picture testifies to the sophisticated taste of her parents, who were ardent supporters of progressive Viennese art and design. In fact, Klimt soon painted Eugenia’s portrait (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Japan).
Gustav Klimt was a controversial Austrian symbolist painter during his time. Klimt’s main subject in his work was the female body and the beauty of femininity. Art community heavily criticized his art for being too sensual and erotic. Today, they’ve proven to be some of the most memorable paintings ever to emerge from the Vienna Secession movement.
He furthered and advocated for the Art Nouveau movement (also known as Jugendstil in Germany). Eventually, he remains one of the most talented decorative painters of the 20th century.
Klimt’s “Golden Phase” is quite possibly his most widely recognized period of art. This period emerged following positive reactions to his work and some financial success. The Golden Phase period included a large variety of paintings created with gold leaf in their production. Many of his works during this time, were very popular due to, in part, this utilization of gold with paint.
While Klimt never saw much merit or fame from his work during his life, he has reached immortality in death and has greatly influenced the art community after his passing.
Musart is proud to showcase the work of such a genius pioneer, who was incredibly important to the ongoing conversation of the art community as a whole.
