Gustav Klimt (Wien 1862-1918) Lot n° 9

(Wien 1862–1918) “Neun Lichtdrucke nach Handzeichnungen von Gustav Klimt”, c. 1908, 9 collotypes in coulour on firm wove paper, each with typographic inscription, sheet sizes 50.8 x 37 cm, printed by k. k. Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt/Vienna, in original green paper wrapper, (9) Rarissimum. It is the first time that this set of 9 collotypes appears on the auction market. An example of this set was exhibited at the ‘Kunstschau’ 1908. According to the exhibition catalogue the set was presented in room 43 and recorded with the catalogue numbers 7–15. In 1912 Arpad Weixlgärtner mentioned in his essay on Gustav Klimt this set, too. But it seems that - despite the extreme high quality of these facsimile collotypes - this set never found as much attention as ‘Das Werk Gustav Klimts’ (1914), ‘Fünfundzwanzig Handzeichnungen’ (1919) or ‘Gustav Klimt. Eine Nachlese’ (1931 and 1946). In 1982 Alice Strobl mentioned this set in her catalogue of the drawings by Gustav Klimt, but admitted that she failed to find a copy in public collections. The apparently low distribution of ‘Neun Licht-drucke’ could indicate a very small edition. Literature: Katalog der Kunstschau Wien 1908, page 116, room 42, no. 7–15 Arpad Weixlgärtner, Gustav Klimt, in: Die Graphischen Künste, vol. 35, 1912, p. 61 Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen. 1904–1912, Verlag Galerie Welz, Salzburg 1982, p. 287 Provenance: Private Collection, Austria