Who painted "The Kiss"?

Gustav Klimt painted “The Kiss,” his celebrated 1907–1908 oil painting embellished with gold leaf, silver, and platinum.

The work shows a couple embracing on a flower-strewn patch of ground. Klimt wrapped their bodies in richly patterned robes: the man’s clothing is marked by geometric rectangles, while the woman’s features circular and floral motifs. The contrast reflects Klimt’s decorative style and the influence of Art Nouveau, Symbolism, and earlier Byzantine art.

“The Kiss” belongs to Klimt’s Golden Phase, when metallic materials became central to his compositions. It was first exhibited in Vienna in 1908 and quickly became one of his best-known works. The painting is a perfect square, measuring 180 by 180 centimetres, and is now displayed at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna.

A common mix-up is confusing Klimt’s painting with other famous artworks titled “The Kiss,” especially the 1882 marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin or the 1896 painting by Edvard Munch. In general-art trivia, however, “The Kiss” most commonly refers to Klimt’s golden depiction of the embracing couple.