1901
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Picasso < 1907 Klimt Swiss painting Self portrait Self portrait II Jewels II
See also : Picasso < 1907 Klimt Swiss painting Self portrait Self portrait II Jewels II
1901 PICASSO
Intro
After the Expo 1900 where one of his works had been displayed,Pablo Picasso makes his first trip to Paris. He is seduced by the atmosphere of the Belle Epoque and enticed about the possibilities of a brilliant artistic career. He comes back to Paris in May 1901. Pedro Mañach introduces him to influential dealers and Ambroise Vollard prepares an exhibition that will open on 25 June.
Time is running out but Pablo cannot miss such an opportunity to launch his career. He enters into a creative frenzy, estimated by some observers at three oils per day made in broad brush strokes for a faster covering of the surface. He has so little available time that he does not deal with details, especially in the face lines.
Pablo who is not yet 20 did not offer up to that point an original style to match his graphic skill. Vollard had worked with Bonnard. Picasso is opting for a wide variety of themes from intimate to worldly with a choice of colors reminiscent of the post-impressionnisme and thick outlines that anticipate the expressionism.
In this ephemeral style that remains primitive compared to the blue period, an oil on cardboard 47 x 62 cm painted in 1901 showing Belle Epoque women on top of an omnibus that crosses a bridge over the Seine was sold for £ 4.9M by Christie's on February 9, 2011. This painting with a bold diagonal composition had been exhibited by Berthe Weill in 1902.
Returning to the artificial pleasures of Parisian life after the Vollard exhibition, he will remember Casagemas and enter into the psychological disaster of his blue period.
Time is running out but Pablo cannot miss such an opportunity to launch his career. He enters into a creative frenzy, estimated by some observers at three oils per day made in broad brush strokes for a faster covering of the surface. He has so little available time that he does not deal with details, especially in the face lines.
Pablo who is not yet 20 did not offer up to that point an original style to match his graphic skill. Vollard had worked with Bonnard. Picasso is opting for a wide variety of themes from intimate to worldly with a choice of colors reminiscent of the post-impressionnisme and thick outlines that anticipate the expressionism.
In this ephemeral style that remains primitive compared to the blue period, an oil on cardboard 47 x 62 cm painted in 1901 showing Belle Epoque women on top of an omnibus that crosses a bridge over the Seine was sold for £ 4.9M by Christie's on February 9, 2011. This painting with a bold diagonal composition had been exhibited by Berthe Weill in 1902.
Returning to the artificial pleasures of Parisian life after the Vollard exhibition, he will remember Casagemas and enter into the psychological disaster of his blue period.
1
La Gommeuse
2015 SOLD for $ 67M by Sotheby's
Pablo Picasso returned to Paris in May 1901, torn between the desire for debauchery and the anguish of death. He was not yet 20 years old. Thus begins his Blue Period, charged with an intense emotion that combines lust and misery.
He is gifted and already recognized. His first exhibition at Vollard's begins on 25 June. He lives at 130 Boulevard de Clichy with Pedro "Pere" Mañach who is his broker and introduces his artworks to Berthe Weill.
On November 5, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 67M La gommeuse, oil on canvas 81 x 54 cm, lot 26. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The woman is visible down to her lower hips. She is nude by her job and not for pleasure even though her disillusioned gaze may also be attributed to absinth. Her attitude with raised shoulders and hanging breasts is miserable though she is not slender.
The title is an additional mockery. In the previous century, a gommeur was a type of ridiculous character trying to make his living by performing in the cafés-concerts. The word was later applied to women.
Art is more important. Behind Pablo's gommeuse, we see the lower part of a painting on the wall showing the legs of a ballerina along with a flower throwing. The artist is attracted and repelled by the cabaret world that ultimately is not his. The gommeuse does not watch the painting.
Pablo had here an intention for caricature which is expressed with more fancy on the recently uncovered back side of that painting. The nude body of a ballerina is surmounted by the head of Mañach according to the principle of these portraits-charges which were so popular at that time in the Parisian society.
This back also has an inscription to his friend on the occasion of his feast. If this date is interpreted as St. Peter's day, this dedication allows to date the back on 29 June 1901. The front side should logically be earlier than the sketched reverse, making this gommeuse one of the triggering prototypes of the blue period.
Thought by Grok from an ArtHitParade post :
He is gifted and already recognized. His first exhibition at Vollard's begins on 25 June. He lives at 130 Boulevard de Clichy with Pedro "Pere" Mañach who is his broker and introduces his artworks to Berthe Weill.
On November 5, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 67M La gommeuse, oil on canvas 81 x 54 cm, lot 26. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The woman is visible down to her lower hips. She is nude by her job and not for pleasure even though her disillusioned gaze may also be attributed to absinth. Her attitude with raised shoulders and hanging breasts is miserable though she is not slender.
The title is an additional mockery. In the previous century, a gommeur was a type of ridiculous character trying to make his living by performing in the cafés-concerts. The word was later applied to women.
Art is more important. Behind Pablo's gommeuse, we see the lower part of a painting on the wall showing the legs of a ballerina along with a flower throwing. The artist is attracted and repelled by the cabaret world that ultimately is not his. The gommeuse does not watch the painting.
Pablo had here an intention for caricature which is expressed with more fancy on the recently uncovered back side of that painting. The nude body of a ballerina is surmounted by the head of Mañach according to the principle of these portraits-charges which were so popular at that time in the Parisian society.
This back also has an inscription to his friend on the occasion of his feast. If this date is interpreted as St. Peter's day, this dedication allows to date the back on 29 June 1901. The front side should logically be earlier than the sketched reverse, making this gommeuse one of the triggering prototypes of the blue period.
Thought by Grok from an ArtHitParade post :
- This 2015 X post by @ArtHitParade announces the Sotheby's sale of Pablo Picasso's "La Gommeuse," a 1901 Blue Period oil painting depicting a nude cabaret performer in melancholic green and ochre tones, for $67 million.
- The work, measuring 81x54 cm, captures themes of loneliness and Parisian nightlife, influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec, and was a gift caricature on its reverse to Picasso's friend Pere Mañach, revealed only in 2000.
- Acquired by collector William I. Koch for $3 million in 1984, it set a Blue Period Picasso auction record at $67.5 million (with premium) in November 2015, underscoring the painting's rarity and market surge.
3
Yo Picasso
1989 SOLD for $ 48 M by Sotheby's
Pablo Ruiz Picasso is attracted to the bohemian life. He goes to the 4 Gats cabaret in Barcelona and shares a workshop with Carlos Casagemas from January to September 1900. That name of 4 Gats is a reference to the Chat Noir in Montmartre. The two friends explore Paris in October 1900. It is indeed the ideal city for a career as a painter.
Carlos is the first to return to Paris, in January 1901. He commits suicide on February 17.
A highly creative period begins for Pablo. In May, the success of an exhibition of his pastels in Barcelona stirs his ambition. He returns to Paris at the end of May.
The skills of the young man is already evident. He will have a solo exhibition at the Galerie Vollard from June 24. He wants to show his know-how in its whole extent and frantically prepares paintings on various themes: scenes of cabaret and of horse racing, landscapes, flowers, naked women.
He is ready. His father's name, Ruiz, is too common for his exuberant ambition. He removes it from his signature to become Picasso.
The exhibition at Vollard's is dominated by a half-length self-portrait in front of his easel, unequivocally marking the artist's desire to be known and recognized. The attitude is proud, the gaze is intense and the colors are vivid. He will later write a title on this painting, Yo Picasso, confirming his own insolence. He may be forgiven : he was not yet 20 years old.
No, decidedly, four months after the death of Casagemas, there was no precursor of the blue period. Picasso's deep depression began around the middle of 1901. Picasso would later attribute it to the mourning of his friend, which nevertheless considerably disturbed him, without ever revealing the real cause of its outbreak. A rejected love?
Yo Picasso, oil on canvas 74 x 60 cm, was sold for $ 48M by Sotheby's on May 9, 1989.
Grok thought :
Quote
Piero BENEDETTO @pieroBENEDETTO Jan 19, 2016
Self portrait Yo Picasso 1901 by Pablo Picasso #periodoBlu in #Sotheby $. 40,7 million #uomoinArte #artlovers
Carlos is the first to return to Paris, in January 1901. He commits suicide on February 17.
A highly creative period begins for Pablo. In May, the success of an exhibition of his pastels in Barcelona stirs his ambition. He returns to Paris at the end of May.
The skills of the young man is already evident. He will have a solo exhibition at the Galerie Vollard from June 24. He wants to show his know-how in its whole extent and frantically prepares paintings on various themes: scenes of cabaret and of horse racing, landscapes, flowers, naked women.
He is ready. His father's name, Ruiz, is too common for his exuberant ambition. He removes it from his signature to become Picasso.
The exhibition at Vollard's is dominated by a half-length self-portrait in front of his easel, unequivocally marking the artist's desire to be known and recognized. The attitude is proud, the gaze is intense and the colors are vivid. He will later write a title on this painting, Yo Picasso, confirming his own insolence. He may be forgiven : he was not yet 20 years old.
No, decidedly, four months after the death of Casagemas, there was no precursor of the blue period. Picasso's deep depression began around the middle of 1901. Picasso would later attribute it to the mourning of his friend, which nevertheless considerably disturbed him, without ever revealing the real cause of its outbreak. A rejected love?
Yo Picasso, oil on canvas 74 x 60 cm, was sold for $ 48M by Sotheby's on May 9, 1989.
Grok thought :
Quote
Piero BENEDETTO @pieroBENEDETTO Jan 19, 2016
Self portrait Yo Picasso 1901 by Pablo Picasso #periodoBlu in #Sotheby $. 40,7 million #uomoinArte #artlovers
- Picasso's "Yo, Picasso" self-portrait from 1901, painted during his Blue Period amid poverty and grief over a friend's suicide, depicts the 19-year-old artist in melancholic blues and greens, conveying raw vulnerability.
- The post inaccurately cites a $40.7 million Sotheby's sale price; the actual 1989 auction fetched a then-record $47.85 million, underscoring the painting's status as one of Picasso's earliest masterpieces.
- Shared by Italian entrepreneur @pieroBENEDETTO, an art enthusiast, the post engaged a multilingual community of admirers, highlighting the artwork's enduring appeal through tags like #periodoBlu and #artlovers.
3
Femme aux bras croisés
2000 SOLD for $ 55M by Christie's
From 1900, Picasso lived alternately in Barcelona and Paris. He settled permanently in Paris in April 1904. We may believe that his art influenced his melancholy, and not the reverse, to be correlated with the fact that no event in his sentimental life was identified to explain the triggering of the Période bleue.
The terminus post quem of the blue period is the exhibition at the Vollard gallery, which begins on June 24, 1901. Picasso appears as a brilliant colorist, with a wide variety of themes around worldly life and a youthful spontaneity. The terminus ante quem of the change in mood is a visit by Sabartes in his workshop at the end of the fall of the same year : the bright colors are gone, all the paintings are predominantly blue.
The themes also changed, with three variants of miserabilism : acrobats, alcohol in cafes, the women of Saint-Lazare. Sabartes confirmed that Picasso deliberately wanted to transform his art for integrating humanist characteristics such as sadness and pain.
Saint-Lazare is the prison-hospital where prostituted women live a hopeless decline. Picasso found cheap models there, and it was indeed at this point that his ideas went dismal. One morning, on the road once again for Saint-Lazare, he conceived L'Enterrement de Casagemas, the oil on canvas 150 x 90 cm which is often considered as the earliest example of the blue period.
On November 8, 2000, Christie's sold Femme aux bras croisés for $ 55M, lot 43. This oil on canvas 81 x 58 cm is undoubtedly the portrait of a prisoner at Saint-Lazare. The starving woman expects nothing and looks at nothing. The position of the arms is protective, but she has nothing to protect. Picasso will later consider women as suffering machines.
It is difficult to accurately date some works from the blue period : the artist often reused his canvases, either for new compositions or for major alterations, which was the case for the Femme aux bras croisés. Considering Picasso's visits to Saint-Lazare in 1901 and this very allegorical interpretation of misery, this tragic painting was probably begun in Paris in the early phase of the blue period.
The terminus post quem of the blue period is the exhibition at the Vollard gallery, which begins on June 24, 1901. Picasso appears as a brilliant colorist, with a wide variety of themes around worldly life and a youthful spontaneity. The terminus ante quem of the change in mood is a visit by Sabartes in his workshop at the end of the fall of the same year : the bright colors are gone, all the paintings are predominantly blue.
The themes also changed, with three variants of miserabilism : acrobats, alcohol in cafes, the women of Saint-Lazare. Sabartes confirmed that Picasso deliberately wanted to transform his art for integrating humanist characteristics such as sadness and pain.
Saint-Lazare is the prison-hospital where prostituted women live a hopeless decline. Picasso found cheap models there, and it was indeed at this point that his ideas went dismal. One morning, on the road once again for Saint-Lazare, he conceived L'Enterrement de Casagemas, the oil on canvas 150 x 90 cm which is often considered as the earliest example of the blue period.
On November 8, 2000, Christie's sold Femme aux bras croisés for $ 55M, lot 43. This oil on canvas 81 x 58 cm is undoubtedly the portrait of a prisoner at Saint-Lazare. The starving woman expects nothing and looks at nothing. The position of the arms is protective, but she has nothing to protect. Picasso will later consider women as suffering machines.
It is difficult to accurately date some works from the blue period : the artist often reused his canvases, either for new compositions or for major alterations, which was the case for the Femme aux bras croisés. Considering Picasso's visits to Saint-Lazare in 1901 and this very allegorical interpretation of misery, this tragic painting was probably begun in Paris in the early phase of the blue period.
Against the common belief and Picasso's statement, I guess that the trend to the Période Bleue started before the suicide of Casagemas. If yes, did Casagemas have a bad influence in his lifetime ?
Timeline and the Onset of Picasso's Blue Period
Carlos (or Carles) Casagemas committed suicide on February 17, 1901, in a Paris café after a failed romantic obsession with Laure "Germaine" Gargallo (whom he attempted to shoot before turning the gun on himself). Picasso, then in Spain (Madrid or Málaga), learned of the death shortly afterward—likely in late February or early March.
Picasso himself later stated: "I started painting in blue when I learned of Casagemas's death." This aligns with the conventional art historical view. Reliable sources (e.g., Wikipedia, Musée Picasso Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and biographies by John Richardson and others) date the Blue Period as beginning in late 1901 (often specified as the latter part or autumn of 1901), with fully monochromatic blue works dominating from around mid-1901 onward.
Your guess that the Blue Period trend started before Casagemas's suicide appears incorrect based on chronological evidence and expert consensus. The suicide was the primary catalyst, compounding earlier traumas (e.g., his sister Conchita's death in 1895) but marking the decisive emotional shift.
Casagemas's Influence on Picasso During His Lifetime
Casagemas and Picasso met around 1899 in Barcelona's avant-garde scene (centered at Els Quatre Gats café). They became close friends—sharing studios, travels, models, and bohemian life. Casagemas (from a wealthy family) accompanied Picasso on his first Paris trip in autumn 1900, introducing him deeper into expatriate Catalan circles.
Positive influences:
There is no evidence that Casagemas had a "bad influence" on Picasso in life (e.g., leading him into destructive habits or derailing his art). Their relationship was supportive and fraternal during Casagemas's lifetime—Picasso even tried to "cheer him up" by traveling with him to Spain after early troubles in Paris. Any negativity stemmed from Casagemas's personal demons, not deliberate harm to Picasso.
The profound negative impact came after the suicide: It plunged Picasso into grief, guilt (possibly over later romancing Germaine), and depression, directly fueling the Blue Period's themes of isolation, poverty, and mortality. Picasso obsessively painted Casagemas posthumously as a way to process the loss.
In summary, Casagemas was a cherished friend whose tragic death transformed Picasso's art—not a malign influence while alive. The Blue Period's melancholy blues began as a direct response to that loss, not beforehand.
Timeline and the Onset of Picasso's Blue Period
Carlos (or Carles) Casagemas committed suicide on February 17, 1901, in a Paris café after a failed romantic obsession with Laure "Germaine" Gargallo (whom he attempted to shoot before turning the gun on himself). Picasso, then in Spain (Madrid or Málaga), learned of the death shortly afterward—likely in late February or early March.
Picasso himself later stated: "I started painting in blue when I learned of Casagemas's death." This aligns with the conventional art historical view. Reliable sources (e.g., Wikipedia, Musée Picasso Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and biographies by John Richardson and others) date the Blue Period as beginning in late 1901 (often specified as the latter part or autumn of 1901), with fully monochromatic blue works dominating from around mid-1901 onward.
- Early 1901 (pre-suicide and immediately after): Picasso's works for his June 1901 exhibition at Ambroise Vollard's gallery in Paris featured a "dazzling palette" with bright, exuberant colors—influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh—depicting Parisian nightlife, cabarets, and bohemian scenes.
- The first memorial painting, The Death of Casagemas (early 1901, soon after the news), uses hot, bright hues (not predominantly blue).
- Truly blue-toned works emerge later in 1901, such as Casagemas in His Coffin (considered one of the first Blue Period pieces) and the iconic Blue Self-Portrait (summer/autumn 1901).
Your guess that the Blue Period trend started before Casagemas's suicide appears incorrect based on chronological evidence and expert consensus. The suicide was the primary catalyst, compounding earlier traumas (e.g., his sister Conchita's death in 1895) but marking the decisive emotional shift.
Casagemas's Influence on Picasso During His Lifetime
Casagemas and Picasso met around 1899 in Barcelona's avant-garde scene (centered at Els Quatre Gats café). They became close friends—sharing studios, travels, models, and bohemian life. Casagemas (from a wealthy family) accompanied Picasso on his first Paris trip in autumn 1900, introducing him deeper into expatriate Catalan circles.
Positive influences:
- Companionship in formative years: They collaborated artistically, traveled Spain together, and shared experiences in Paris nightlife.
- Mutual inspiration: Picasso painted numerous portraits of Casagemas (1899–1900), often affectionate or caricatural, reflecting a deep bond.
- Exposure: Their time in Paris immersed Picasso in Montmartre's vibrant (and seedy) world, influencing his early Parisian subjects.
There is no evidence that Casagemas had a "bad influence" on Picasso in life (e.g., leading him into destructive habits or derailing his art). Their relationship was supportive and fraternal during Casagemas's lifetime—Picasso even tried to "cheer him up" by traveling with him to Spain after early troubles in Paris. Any negativity stemmed from Casagemas's personal demons, not deliberate harm to Picasso.
The profound negative impact came after the suicide: It plunged Picasso into grief, guilt (possibly over later romancing Germaine), and depression, directly fueling the Blue Period's themes of isolation, poverty, and mortality. Picasso obsessively painted Casagemas posthumously as a way to process the loss.
In summary, Casagemas was a cherished friend whose tragic death transformed Picasso's art—not a malign influence while alive. The Blue Period's melancholy blues began as a direct response to that loss, not beforehand.
4
Maternité
1988 SOLD for $ 24.7M by Christie's
Picasso said: "It was while thinking that Casagemas was dead that I began to paint in blue". The chronology of the facts complicates the expertise. The euphoria of his solo exhibition by Vollard, in June 1901, just before Picasso's great depression, had come four months after Casagemas' death. This statement is however confirmed by an imaginary portrait of Casagemas on his deathbed, a much painful vision that Picasso kept in secret from 1901 to 1965.
The two fellows had wanted to explore the pleasures of Parisian life. Casagemas had committed suicide after attempting to assassinate a Moulin Rouge girl.
This mixture of love and death created with some delay a mystical questioning. Picasso is traumatized by the degradation of women in the prison-hospital of Saint-Lazare, dedicated for a hundred years to keeping sick prostitutes away from the brothels.
In this impulse that anticipates the Minotauromachie by more than thirty years, the artist no longer understands the meaning of life. The woman is not only an object of pleasure, she is also the mother, entrusted for perpetuating the human species. In the fall of 1901, just before returning to Barcelona, he painted a series of Maternities which indirectly reinterpreted the theme of the Virgin and Child.
An opus in this series is arguably the most poignant image therein. The mother wears a bure robe with a large hood. She affectionately holds the child standing in pajamas in front of her and places a kiss on his forehead. The room is empty except for a sewing basket, symbol of the humble occupations of the mother. There is no doubt that she is a fallen woman, locked up in Saint-Lazare, to whom her son brings the memory and the hope of real life. The hands of the young boy are joined as in a Christian prayer.
This 92 x 60 cm oil painting was sold for $ 24.7M by Christie's on November 14, 1988. The image was shared in 2006 by Artnet.
The above interpretations are confirmed by a masterpiece from the blue period, painted in Barcelona in 1903, significantly titled La Vie, which confronts a naked couple and a maternity and where the man of the carnal couple is a posthumous portrait of Casagemas.
The two fellows had wanted to explore the pleasures of Parisian life. Casagemas had committed suicide after attempting to assassinate a Moulin Rouge girl.
This mixture of love and death created with some delay a mystical questioning. Picasso is traumatized by the degradation of women in the prison-hospital of Saint-Lazare, dedicated for a hundred years to keeping sick prostitutes away from the brothels.
In this impulse that anticipates the Minotauromachie by more than thirty years, the artist no longer understands the meaning of life. The woman is not only an object of pleasure, she is also the mother, entrusted for perpetuating the human species. In the fall of 1901, just before returning to Barcelona, he painted a series of Maternities which indirectly reinterpreted the theme of the Virgin and Child.
An opus in this series is arguably the most poignant image therein. The mother wears a bure robe with a large hood. She affectionately holds the child standing in pajamas in front of her and places a kiss on his forehead. The room is empty except for a sewing basket, symbol of the humble occupations of the mother. There is no doubt that she is a fallen woman, locked up in Saint-Lazare, to whom her son brings the memory and the hope of real life. The hands of the young boy are joined as in a Christian prayer.
This 92 x 60 cm oil painting was sold for $ 24.7M by Christie's on November 14, 1988. The image was shared in 2006 by Artnet.
The above interpretations are confirmed by a masterpiece from the blue period, painted in Barcelona in 1903, significantly titled La Vie, which confronts a naked couple and a maternity and where the man of the carnal couple is a posthumous portrait of Casagemas.
KLIMT
1
masterpiece
1901 Judith
Österreiche Galerie Belvedere, Wien
Exploring Gustav Klimt's Judith I (1901)
Gustav Klimt's Judith I (also known as Judith and Holofernes, oil on canvas, 82 × 52 cm, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna) is one of the most provocative and iconic works of the Vienna Secession and fin-de-siècle Symbolism. Painted in 1901 during Klimt's "Golden Phase," it reinterprets the biblical story of Judith, the Jewish widow who seduces and beheads the Assyrian general Holofernes to save her people (Book of Judith). Klimt transforms the heroic narrative into a modern, erotic, and psychologically charged image of feminine power, sensuality, and danger—often seen as a quintessential depiction of the femme fatale.
The composition focuses on a close-up of Judith from the waist up, portrayed as a beautiful, auburn-haired woman with half-closed eyes, parted lips, and an expression of languid ecstasy or triumphant sensuality. She wears an opulent gold-ornamented choker and diaphanous garment that barely conceals her body, her breast partially exposed. In her right hand, she cradles the severed head of Holofernes (barely visible at the lower edge, eyes closed, beard prominent), while her left hand gently caresses his hair in an almost affectionate gesture. The background is a shimmering gold mosaic of Byzantine-inspired patterns, decorative motifs, and swirling forms that dissolve spatial depth, emphasizing ornament over realism.
Symbolism and Interpretation
Klimt subverts the traditional heroic Judith (as in Caravaggio or Artemisia Gentileschi, where the act of beheading is violent and resolute) by portraying her in a post-coital, almost orgasmic state—blurring the line between seduction, murder, and erotic fulfillment. Key symbols include:
Psychological Dimensions
From a psychological perspective, Judith I reveals deep ambivalence toward female sexuality and power:
Klimt revisited the theme in Judith II (also called Salome by some), now in Venice's Ca' Pesaro. The figure is shown in profile, moving forward with a sharper, more severe expression—less voluptuous, more predatory and drained. Ornamentation is less golden and more chaotic; the head is tucked under her arm like a purse. This version emphasizes devouring aggression over seductive ecstasy, marking a darker evolution in Klimt's view of feminine power.
Overall, Klimt's Judith I is a masterpiece of erotic symbolism and psychological depth: a gilded icon of feminine empowerment that simultaneously seduces and unsettles, revealing the era's tangled fears and fantasies about gender, desire, and power. It remains a cornerstone of Art Nouveau and a mirror to the unconscious tensions of modernity.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Gustav Klimt's Judith I (also known as Judith and Holofernes, oil on canvas, 82 × 52 cm, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna) is one of the most provocative and iconic works of the Vienna Secession and fin-de-siècle Symbolism. Painted in 1901 during Klimt's "Golden Phase," it reinterprets the biblical story of Judith, the Jewish widow who seduces and beheads the Assyrian general Holofernes to save her people (Book of Judith). Klimt transforms the heroic narrative into a modern, erotic, and psychologically charged image of feminine power, sensuality, and danger—often seen as a quintessential depiction of the femme fatale.
The composition focuses on a close-up of Judith from the waist up, portrayed as a beautiful, auburn-haired woman with half-closed eyes, parted lips, and an expression of languid ecstasy or triumphant sensuality. She wears an opulent gold-ornamented choker and diaphanous garment that barely conceals her body, her breast partially exposed. In her right hand, she cradles the severed head of Holofernes (barely visible at the lower edge, eyes closed, beard prominent), while her left hand gently caresses his hair in an almost affectionate gesture. The background is a shimmering gold mosaic of Byzantine-inspired patterns, decorative motifs, and swirling forms that dissolve spatial depth, emphasizing ornament over realism.
Symbolism and Interpretation
Klimt subverts the traditional heroic Judith (as in Caravaggio or Artemisia Gentileschi, where the act of beheading is violent and resolute) by portraying her in a post-coital, almost orgasmic state—blurring the line between seduction, murder, and erotic fulfillment. Key symbols include:
- Gold and Ornamentation — The lavish gold leaf and decorative patterns evoke luxury, divinity (Byzantine icons), and the sacred, yet here applied to profane desire. Gold symbolizes wealth, eternity, and Klimt's aesthetic of beauty as a veil over darker truths.
- Severed Head — Holofernes is marginalized and objectified, reduced to a trophy. His decapitation anticipates Freudian castration anxiety—male fear of female power and emasculation.
- Expression and Pose — Judith's half-lidded eyes, parted lips, and tilted head convey both triumph and voluptuous abandon. She appears intoxicated by her own power and sexuality, suggesting the erotic thrill of domination.
- Femme Fatale Archetype — She embodies the turn-of-the-century anxiety about female emancipation, sexuality, and the "New Woman." Klimt fuses lust and fear: Judith is alluring yet dangerous, a predator who derives pleasure from destruction.
Psychological Dimensions
From a psychological perspective, Judith I reveals deep ambivalence toward female sexuality and power:
- Male Anxiety and Castration Fear — The decapitation and Judith's triumphant sensuality evoke Freudian castration anxiety: woman as both desirable and terrifying, capable of "castrating" through dominance or rejection. Klimt portrays the aftermath of sexual conquest where the man is literally diminished.
- Erotic Fusion of Pleasure and Aggression — Judith's expression suggests she derives erotic satisfaction from the act—blending orgasmic bliss with violence. This reflects fin-de-siècle fascination with the unconscious, where repressed instincts (sexual, aggressive) surface.
- Ambivalence in the Male Gaze — Klimt idealizes yet fears the powerful woman. Judith is self-possessed and dominant, yet her sensuality objectifies her, reflecting patriarchal tensions around emerging female autonomy, suffrage, and sexual liberation.
- Projection of Inner Conflict — For Klimt (who had complex relationships with women and society), the image may externalize fears of female engulfment or the destructive potential of desire—turning biblical virtue into a modern psychological allegory of instinct over morality.
Klimt revisited the theme in Judith II (also called Salome by some), now in Venice's Ca' Pesaro. The figure is shown in profile, moving forward with a sharper, more severe expression—less voluptuous, more predatory and drained. Ornamentation is less golden and more chaotic; the head is tucked under her arm like a purse. This version emphasizes devouring aggression over seductive ecstasy, marking a darker evolution in Klimt's view of feminine power.
Overall, Klimt's Judith I is a masterpiece of erotic symbolism and psychological depth: a gilded icon of feminine empowerment that simultaneously seduces and unsettles, revealing the era's tangled fears and fantasies about gender, desire, and power. It remains a cornerstone of Art Nouveau and a mirror to the unconscious tensions of modernity.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
1901-1902 Insel im Attersee
2023 SOLD for $ 53M by Sotheby's
From 1900 to 1907 Gustav Klimt spends the summer in the small village of Litzlberg on the Attersee in the Austrian Alps of Salzkammergut. Far away from the hectic life of Vienna, he has a quiet pastime including swim in the lake and outdoor painting after breakfast when the weather is fine, plus an optional swim and second painting session in the afternoon, "early to bed, early to rise in the next morning".
Like Monet he does not feel like a tourist and is not appealed by panoramic views. He is serenely looking for the deep essence of nature, catching its texture in square format. Monet also had used this solution.
In an oil on canvas 80 x 80 cm of the Attersee painted in 1900, nearly the whole surface is occupied by the turquoise spots in grazing incidence against the misty sunlight. The surface of the lake is lapping in shimmering shades from green in the forefront to bluish violet in the distance.
The sunrise and the horizon appear in a very narrow area where the sun is trimmed. Please watch the video shared by the Leopold Museum.
Klimt's textures express a sensation that anticipates the abstraction.
In 1901 or 1902 Klimt paints a remake of his 1900 Attersee view. In a move that anticipates by a few years Monet's Nymphéas, he gets rid of the horizon in another square format. The shore is maintained but looks far away. A green area of foliage without details on the right, already visible in the 1900 picture, is an island in Litzlberg.
Klimt did not depart from this improved replica, certainly made for his own pleasure. This oil on canvas 100 x 100 cm was sold for $ 53M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 107. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Like Monet he does not feel like a tourist and is not appealed by panoramic views. He is serenely looking for the deep essence of nature, catching its texture in square format. Monet also had used this solution.
In an oil on canvas 80 x 80 cm of the Attersee painted in 1900, nearly the whole surface is occupied by the turquoise spots in grazing incidence against the misty sunlight. The surface of the lake is lapping in shimmering shades from green in the forefront to bluish violet in the distance.
The sunrise and the horizon appear in a very narrow area where the sun is trimmed. Please watch the video shared by the Leopold Museum.
Klimt's textures express a sensation that anticipates the abstraction.
In 1901 or 1902 Klimt paints a remake of his 1900 Attersee view. In a move that anticipates by a few years Monet's Nymphéas, he gets rid of the horizon in another square format. The shore is maintained but looks far away. A green area of foliage without details on the right, already visible in the 1900 picture, is an island in Litzlberg.
Klimt did not depart from this improved replica, certainly made for his own pleasure. This oil on canvas 100 x 100 cm was sold for $ 53M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 107. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
3
1901 Seeufer mit Birken
2012 SOLD for £ 5.6M by Sotheby's
In 1901, Gustav Klimt is already the leader of the movement named the Vienna Secession, which has its roots in the symbolism. He is not afraid of controversy, but he also needs rest, and he takes a holiday on the shores of the Attersee lake.
Inspired by some birch trees by the lake, he enjoys to show them in an impressionist oil on canvas that has much in common with the art of Monet.
The square format, 90 x 90 cm, provides an intimate feeling to this landscape. The grassy and flowery slope leading down to the lake has an impressionistic touch, as also the reflection of trees in water farther away.
However its composition is original and modern, with the trunk of a birch tree slightly twisted which cuts the image into two equal parts to better drive the eye onto its humble existence.
This painting was not recorded, but its authenticity is without a doubt. It was sold in post sale for £ 5.6M by Sotheby's on February 8, 2012. It is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity.
Inspired by some birch trees by the lake, he enjoys to show them in an impressionist oil on canvas that has much in common with the art of Monet.
The square format, 90 x 90 cm, provides an intimate feeling to this landscape. The grassy and flowery slope leading down to the lake has an impressionistic touch, as also the reflection of trees in water farther away.
However its composition is original and modern, with the trunk of a birch tree slightly twisted which cuts the image into two equal parts to better drive the eye onto its humble existence.
This painting was not recorded, but its authenticity is without a doubt. It was sold in post sale for £ 5.6M by Sotheby's on February 8, 2012. It is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity.
1901 The Red Cross Diamond
2022 SOLD for CHF 14.2M by Christie's
A rough diamond of canary color weighing about 370 carats was unearthed in 1901 in a De Beers mine in South Africa.
It was cut as a cushion modified brilliant-cut diamond of 205.07 carats, graded in 2021 by the GIA as fancy intense yellow, natural color, VS2 clarity. Its size is 33.8 x 33.8 x 24.9 mm and its
gross weight is 41.1 grams.
Recognized in February 1918 by The Times as one of the greatest jewels of the world and acclaimed for its natural phosphorescence, it was donated to be sold in April 1918 by Christie's in London at the fourth and last annual war charity auction of the Red Cross. It fetched £ 10K equivalent to £ 600K of today. A cross had been faceted in the front side.
Known as the Red Cross Diamond, it was sold for CHF 1.8M by Christie's in Geneva in November 1973. It was sold for CHF 14.2M on May 11, 2022, again by Christie's in Geneva, lot 61. Part of the sale revenue will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
It was cut as a cushion modified brilliant-cut diamond of 205.07 carats, graded in 2021 by the GIA as fancy intense yellow, natural color, VS2 clarity. Its size is 33.8 x 33.8 x 24.9 mm and its
gross weight is 41.1 grams.
Recognized in February 1918 by The Times as one of the greatest jewels of the world and acclaimed for its natural phosphorescence, it was donated to be sold in April 1918 by Christie's in London at the fourth and last annual war charity auction of the Red Cross. It fetched £ 10K equivalent to £ 600K of today. A cross had been faceted in the front side.
Known as the Red Cross Diamond, it was sold for CHF 1.8M by Christie's in Geneva in November 1973. It was sold for CHF 14.2M on May 11, 2022, again by Christie's in Geneva, lot 61. Part of the sale revenue will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
#SpotlightSaturday The Red Cross Diamond: 'one of the rarest stones on Earth' fetched double its pre-sale estimate and realised CHF14,181,250 at Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale. A significant portion of the proceeds will benefit the International Committee of the @RedCross pic.twitter.com/mQ5lvh47h6
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 14, 2022
#SpotlightSaturday Christie's is proud to announce The Red Cross Diamond, a historically important fancy intense yellow, cushion-shaped diamond of 205.07 carat. A symbol of altruism, part of the sale revenue will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross. pic.twitter.com/DTIwEUQ9FL
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) April 16, 2022
1901 Genfersee von Saint-Prex aus by Hodler
2007 SOLD for CHF 11M by Sotheby's
Ferdinand Hodler faced a scandal. In 1897 he had accepted a commission for a historical fresco in Zurich. He selected to feature the battle of Marignan that had been famously lost by the Swiss. After a three year struggle, that project was accepted.
Keeping quiet after that ordeal, Hodler managed to apply his Parallelism to landscapes.
Genfersee von Saint-Prex aus is a view of the Savoy Alps beyond the lake of Geneva taken from a flowering meadow in Vaud. Cumulus clouds are floating while their reflections add narrow stripes in the blue water. The mountains are bathed in a violet backlight.
This oil on canvas 72 x 107 cm painted ca 1901 was sold for CHF 11M by Sotheby's on June 5, 2007, lot 48.
Keeping quiet after that ordeal, Hodler managed to apply his Parallelism to landscapes.
Genfersee von Saint-Prex aus is a view of the Savoy Alps beyond the lake of Geneva taken from a flowering meadow in Vaud. Cumulus clouds are floating while their reflections add narrow stripes in the blue water. The mountains are bathed in a violet backlight.
This oil on canvas 72 x 107 cm painted ca 1901 was sold for CHF 11M by Sotheby's on June 5, 2007, lot 48.
1901 La Seine à Vétheuil by MONET
2015 SOLD for $ 11.5M by Sotheby's
Claude Monet’s 1901 Vétheuil Series (La Seine à Vétheuil)
From 1878 to 1881, Claude Monet lived in Vétheuil, a picturesque medieval village on the banks of the Seine. He returned to this beloved site in the summer of 1901, renting a modest house in Lavacourt on the opposite bank of the river (not far from his expanding Giverny property). From the balcony of this rented house, he painted approximately 15 views of Vétheuil, all from virtually the identical vantage point. These works focus intensely on the shifting effects of light and atmosphere at different times of day—his signature serial practice at the turn of the century.
The compositions typically divide the nearly square canvas (around 82–90 × 92–93 cm) horizontally: the village and its church spire occupy the upper register, while the lower half captures the Seine’s shimmering reflections of the buildings, sky, and foliage. Monet’s loose, directional brushwork and subtle color modulations blur boundaries between water, land, and sky, prioritizing decorative harmony and atmospheric sensation over strict topography.
This series stands as a late example of Monet’s river landscapes, executed while he was deeply engaged in developing his Nymphéas (Water Lilies) project at Giverny. He had already begun enlarging his water garden pond around this time (notably in 1901), and the Vétheuil canvases reflect his ongoing fascination with reflections and mutable light—qualities that would soon dominate the increasingly abstract, horizonless water-lily ponds. The 1901 campaign thus bridges his earlier serial river scenes and the immersive, decorative panels of the Nymphéas cycle that would occupy him for the next two decades until his death in 1926.
Notable Auction Results from the Series
From 1878 to 1881, Claude Monet lived in Vétheuil, a picturesque medieval village on the banks of the Seine. He returned to this beloved site in the summer of 1901, renting a modest house in Lavacourt on the opposite bank of the river (not far from his expanding Giverny property). From the balcony of this rented house, he painted approximately 15 views of Vétheuil, all from virtually the identical vantage point. These works focus intensely on the shifting effects of light and atmosphere at different times of day—his signature serial practice at the turn of the century.
The compositions typically divide the nearly square canvas (around 82–90 × 92–93 cm) horizontally: the village and its church spire occupy the upper register, while the lower half captures the Seine’s shimmering reflections of the buildings, sky, and foliage. Monet’s loose, directional brushwork and subtle color modulations blur boundaries between water, land, and sky, prioritizing decorative harmony and atmospheric sensation over strict topography.
This series stands as a late example of Monet’s river landscapes, executed while he was deeply engaged in developing his Nymphéas (Water Lilies) project at Giverny. He had already begun enlarging his water garden pond around this time (notably in 1901), and the Vétheuil canvases reflect his ongoing fascination with reflections and mutable light—qualities that would soon dominate the increasingly abstract, horizonless water-lily ponds. The 1901 campaign thus bridges his earlier serial river scenes and the immersive, decorative panels of the Nymphéas cycle that would occupy him for the next two decades until his death in 1926.
Notable Auction Results from the Series
- La Seine à Vétheuil (oil on canvas, 82 × 93 cm), featuring a beautiful, luminous reflection of the village in the river. Sold for $11.5 million (against a low estimate of $6 million) at Sotheby’s New York on May 5, 2015, lot 28. The image is publicly available via Wikimedia.
- A view in the afternoon (90 × 92 cm) sold for $6.6 million at Christie’s on May 4, 2005, lot 18.
- A sun-bathed view (82 × 93 cm) sold for $5.5 million at Christie’s on November 3, 2009, lot 19.
Effet du Matin
2026 for sale on April 16 by Sotheby's
New Lot: Vétheuil, effet du matin (Vétheuil, Morning Effect), ca. 1901
This fresh-to-market painting, offered in Sotheby’s Paris Art Moderne et Contemporain Evening Auction on April 16, 2026, lot 4, depicts the village in the soft, early-morning light. It has remained in a private French collection for approximately 115 years and has not been seen publicly for over a century. The work is estimated at €6–8 million (roughly $6.9–9.2 million). Like its counterparts, it emphasizes the reflective surface of the Seine and the atmospheric dissolution of forms, executed from the same balcony viewpoint in Lavacourt. The video is shared by the auction house.
This addition strengthens the market presence of the 1901 series, which remains relatively rare at auction compared to Monet’s more famous haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, or later Nymphéas. Several works from the group reside in major institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago (midday and sunset views). The upcoming Sotheby’s Paris sale offers collectors a rare opportunity to acquire a long-hidden example from this pivotal transitional series.
Sotheby's documentation compares this painting to an earlier version :
This fresh-to-market painting, offered in Sotheby’s Paris Art Moderne et Contemporain Evening Auction on April 16, 2026, lot 4, depicts the village in the soft, early-morning light. It has remained in a private French collection for approximately 115 years and has not been seen publicly for over a century. The work is estimated at €6–8 million (roughly $6.9–9.2 million). Like its counterparts, it emphasizes the reflective surface of the Seine and the atmospheric dissolution of forms, executed from the same balcony viewpoint in Lavacourt. The video is shared by the auction house.
This addition strengthens the market presence of the 1901 series, which remains relatively rare at auction compared to Monet’s more famous haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, or later Nymphéas. Several works from the group reside in major institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago (midday and sunset views). The upcoming Sotheby’s Paris sale offers collectors a rare opportunity to acquire a long-hidden example from this pivotal transitional series.
Sotheby's documentation compares this painting to an earlier version :
- The 1901 version (the new lot 4 at Sotheby’s Paris): Monet painted it in the summer of 1901 from the balcony of a rented house in Lavacourt, on the opposite bank of the Seine from Vétheuil. It is a near-square canvas (typical of the series) that emphasizes atmospheric light, reflections in the river, and the village in soft morning conditions. It exemplifies Monet’s mature serial approach and transitional style toward the more abstract Nymphéas.
- The earlier version (dated around 1878–1880, with some sources citing 1878 specifically): This was painted during Monet’s original residence in Vétheuil itself (1878–1881), when he lived on the village side of the river. It captures a similar morning light effect on the Seine and village but in a more traditional Impressionist manner from that earlier period of financial hardship and intense plein-air work.
- Time gap: Roughly 20 years separate the two works (1878/1880 vs. 1901).
- Distance: The earlier painting was made from within or very near Vétheuil; the 1901 version was made from Lavacourt on the facing bank, a short distance downstream/upstream depending on the exact bend of the river.
1901 Vagen by Strindberg
2022 SOLD for £ 6.8M by Sotheby's
August Strindberg used the writing for expressing his vision of the meaning of life, influenced in turn by Nietzsche, Zola and Swedenborg. He could not live without very young wives but his three marriages were short-lived.
In two periods of extreme tension in his dramatic creation, 1892-94 and 1901-05, Strindberg stopped writing and found refuge in a painting spread by violent knife blows, unleashing the automatism of his impulses.
In 1892 he left Sweden to try to restore his balance. This crisis will last six years. In 1893 he painted landscapes where sky and sea form a continuity without horizon.
In 1894 his tribulations led him with his very young pregnant second wife in a hut in Dornach, in the upper valley of the Danube. The couple's relationship is increasingly difficult. Waiting for the childbirth, he decorated this home by seven paintings of various subjects. The local scenery is spectacular. Strindberg paints landscapes in which topographical details are absent and where the thickness of the paint erases the border between the mountain and the stormy sky.
Alplandskap, an oil on panel 72 x 51 cm made in the Dornach hut, was sold for £ 2.1M by Sotheby's on June 27, 2007. The swirling motion of the knife reminds the starry sky of van Gogh. Made during the same stay, Wonderland shows the exit of the underworld, blinding and not reachable by a potential traveler stuck within the shadows. The inspiration and execution of Wonderland make Strindberg a forerunner of abstract expressionism.
Strindberg is aware that his art is totally new. The title is only a guide, and the artwork is a tour de force that expresses both the external environment and the inner torment of the artist. He outlined in 1893 the theory of his creations as Art fortuit (in French, meaning chance art), which opens the way for the much later role of emotion in surrealist art and to the abstract landscapes by Zao Wou-ki. If Strindberg had been a professional artist, he could have shaken forever the theories about the meaning of art. Kandinsky did it in 1909 in Murnau.
Prepared in 1897 in the depths of one of his paranoid crises, an autobiographical novel titled Inferno describes his hallucinations and delusions as well as his paltry remedies including alchemy and occultism.
A new major marital crisis occurs in 1901 when Strindberg then 52 years old is informed of the murder of his former lover Dagny Juel and cancels his honeymoon with his third wife Harriet Bosse aged 23.
On June 7, 2017, Bukowskis sold for SEK 15.5M before fees an oil on canvas 100 x 70 cm also titled Inferno, lot 403. This direct following to Wonderland is reflecting his new descent into hell. It is dated 1903 but the catalog considers that it was painted in 1901.
In his 1901 crisis, Strindberg did not forget the wild force of the ocean. His Vagen (Waves) V to VII are a sub-series of three paintings from that year. The threatening wave looks like a snowy mountain crest between the dark foreground and the stormy gray sky. That composition in horizontal fields including a narrow band of calm sky possibly influenced Rothko's abstract rectangles.
Vagen V, oil on canvas 100 x 71 cm, was sold for £ 6.8M from a lower estimate of £ 2M by Sotheby's on June 29, 2022, lot 139.
In two periods of extreme tension in his dramatic creation, 1892-94 and 1901-05, Strindberg stopped writing and found refuge in a painting spread by violent knife blows, unleashing the automatism of his impulses.
In 1892 he left Sweden to try to restore his balance. This crisis will last six years. In 1893 he painted landscapes where sky and sea form a continuity without horizon.
In 1894 his tribulations led him with his very young pregnant second wife in a hut in Dornach, in the upper valley of the Danube. The couple's relationship is increasingly difficult. Waiting for the childbirth, he decorated this home by seven paintings of various subjects. The local scenery is spectacular. Strindberg paints landscapes in which topographical details are absent and where the thickness of the paint erases the border between the mountain and the stormy sky.
Alplandskap, an oil on panel 72 x 51 cm made in the Dornach hut, was sold for £ 2.1M by Sotheby's on June 27, 2007. The swirling motion of the knife reminds the starry sky of van Gogh. Made during the same stay, Wonderland shows the exit of the underworld, blinding and not reachable by a potential traveler stuck within the shadows. The inspiration and execution of Wonderland make Strindberg a forerunner of abstract expressionism.
Strindberg is aware that his art is totally new. The title is only a guide, and the artwork is a tour de force that expresses both the external environment and the inner torment of the artist. He outlined in 1893 the theory of his creations as Art fortuit (in French, meaning chance art), which opens the way for the much later role of emotion in surrealist art and to the abstract landscapes by Zao Wou-ki. If Strindberg had been a professional artist, he could have shaken forever the theories about the meaning of art. Kandinsky did it in 1909 in Murnau.
Prepared in 1897 in the depths of one of his paranoid crises, an autobiographical novel titled Inferno describes his hallucinations and delusions as well as his paltry remedies including alchemy and occultism.
A new major marital crisis occurs in 1901 when Strindberg then 52 years old is informed of the murder of his former lover Dagny Juel and cancels his honeymoon with his third wife Harriet Bosse aged 23.
On June 7, 2017, Bukowskis sold for SEK 15.5M before fees an oil on canvas 100 x 70 cm also titled Inferno, lot 403. This direct following to Wonderland is reflecting his new descent into hell. It is dated 1903 but the catalog considers that it was painted in 1901.
In his 1901 crisis, Strindberg did not forget the wild force of the ocean. His Vagen (Waves) V to VII are a sub-series of three paintings from that year. The threatening wave looks like a snowy mountain crest between the dark foreground and the stormy gray sky. That composition in horizontal fields including a narrow band of calm sky possibly influenced Rothko's abstract rectangles.
Vagen V, oil on canvas 100 x 71 cm, was sold for £ 6.8M from a lower estimate of £ 2M by Sotheby's on June 29, 2022, lot 139.
#AuctionUpdate Record for Swedish playwright & novelist August Strindberg, as his visceral 1901 work ‘Wave V’ sells for £6,797,800, sparking competition from 4 bidders to make over twice its estimate. pic.twitter.com/HGzBojIH8b
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) June 29, 2022
