Gustav Klimt’s Art Nouveau painting The Kiss was first exhibited in 1908.
Klimt displayed the work in Vienna under the catalogue title Liebespaar, meaning “The Lovers.” Although the painting is dated 1907–1908, its first public exhibition occurred in 1908. It belongs to Klimt’s celebrated “Golden Period,” when he incorporated gold leaf and other precious-looking materials into highly decorative compositions.
The painting shows an embracing couple wrapped in patterned robes. Their contrasting geometric designs—rectangles for the man and rounded forms for the woman—are set against a field of gold. The work combines Symbolist ideas, Vienna Secession aesthetics, and Art Nouveau’s preference for ornamental, organic design.
A common mix-up is to answer 1907 because that is the beginning of the painting’s usual date range. Another is to confuse its exhibition date with its later acquisition by Vienna’s Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, where it remains one of the museum’s signature works.