Gustav Klimt (1862 – 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter.
He studied to the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, where he received training as an architectural painter.
In 1888, Klimt received the Golden order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria for his contributions to murals painted in the Burgtheater in Vienna. He also became an honorary member of the University of Munich and the University of Vienna.
Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches and other objects of art. His primary subject was the female body and in addition to his portraits, he painted also landscapes. He was influenced by Japanese art and his paintings of “golden phase” had a big success.
He became one of the founding members and president of the Vienna Secession, an union of Austrian artists.
The “Hope II” is exposed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
