Author Description

Whether the canvases of Gustav Klimt (1862 – 1918) celebrated the exquisite landscapes of Austria’s Attersee region or caressed the cheek of a lovely young laundress, his appreciation of his subjects was sensitive, sensual and strong. No other painter in Vienna at the close of the 19th century was as revered—and often reviled—as this outrageous artist wearing only a knowing expression and a long blue smock. One of the women who found her way onto his canvas and into his bed was Mizzi Zimmermann (the subject of this book, Dirty Linen), whom he would cherish, in his way, until his death. Mizzi, and the subjects of Book One—Vienna Patterns (Emilie Flöge) and Book Two—Diamonds and Sand (Adele Bloch-Bauer) enjoy everlasting admiration, thanks to Klimt’s brush—A Brush with Passion.