Gustav Klimt:
Lady facing forward in a pleated dress (Portrait of ladies en face) – Dame en face mit plisiertem Kleid (Damenbilden en face), 1898
oil on board laid down on board
43.2 x 33.8 cm (17 x 13 1/4 in.)
Auctioned at Christie’s in 2023
(Natter no. 106)

Dame en face mit plisiertem Kleid (Damenbildnis en face) is a painting likely created in 1898 by Gustav Klimt. It is part of a series of intimate oil portraits of women made between 1897 and 1898. This painting is one of the few close-up bust portraits Klimt ever made.

The series captures the fashion trends of late 19th-century Vienna and hints at the inner lives of the women portrayed. These works are seen as precursors to Klimt’s later portraits of women in luxurious Wiener Werkstätte clothing.

The identity of the woman in this painting is unknown. Some have speculated she might be the wife of the collector Dr. August Heymann, but there is no evidence to support this.

Gustav Klimt’s portraits were often commissioned by wealthy individuals like Adele Bloch-Bauer, Hermine Gallia, and Friederike Maria Beer. These commissions helped establish Klimt’s reputation. What connects paintings like Dame en face mit plisiertem Kleid with his later society portraits is Klimt’s unique approach to portraiture. For him, portraits were not just about capturing a true likeness but about creating allegorical and emotionally resonant representations.

Although more traditional in style than his later works, these early portraits hint at his future full-length paintings of women adorned with jewels, which became a hallmark of his later career. As Klimt himself said, he was more interested in the essence of individuals, especially women, rather than their specific appearances.

The painting, which was displayed for several years in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna, originally belonged to Bernhard Altmann, a textile manufacturer. In 1938, the Gestapo seized Altmann’s business and assets, including this painting. In June of that year, the Gestapo ordered the sale of all contents from the Altmann villa. Gustav Ucicky, Klimt’s son, acquired the painting, titled Dame en face mit plisiertem Kleid, from this sale. In 2004, the painting was returned to Altmann’s heirs.