Gustav Klimt:
Lady with a Fan (‘Dame mit Fächer’), 1917-1918, unfinished
Oil on canvas
100.2 x 100.2 cm (39 ½ x 39 ½ in.)
Auctioned at Sotheby’s in 2023 for 85,305,800 GBP
(Natter no. 237)

“Dame mit Fächer” is one of Klimt’s best works, created in the years just before his death in 1918. It represents his mature artistic vision, blending rich patterns and oriental motifs with the delicate human touch that makes his portraits so admired. This painting shows Klimt experimenting with color and form while keeping the expressive style that sets his work apart.

In this portrait, Klimt returns to the square format he first used in 1898 for “Sonja Knips,” placing the figure in the center. There are similarities with the 1916 Portrait of Wally which was lost in a fire in the Second World War. The identity of the woman is unknown, but she might be one of his regular models, possibly Johanna Staude. Her bare shoulder suggests she might not have been one of Klimt’s more respectable acquaintances, though she carries herself with poise and confidence.

The beauty of the portrait is in the details: the blue and pink flecks on her skin, the feathery eyelashes, and her pursed lips giving her face character. The dress she wears might have been an oriental costume Klimt owned, often described as a kimono, and its pattern recalls textiles designed by the Wiener Werkstätte. “Dame mit Fächer” was started in 1917 and was still on Klimt’s easel at the time of his death in 1918, when it was photographed.