What the painting shows

Death and Life by Klimt presents an allegorical confrontation between a solitary Grim Reaper and a dense mass of human bodies. Gustav Klimt divides the composition into two unequal sides set against a dark grey background. Death stands on the far left, while the human figures gather on the right, occupying a much larger portion of the canvas. This work belongs to Klimt’s celebrated allegories, exploring human mortality alongside youth, aging, and love.

On the left, Death appears as a skeletal figure draped in a long garment covered in dark crosses and circular shapes. The skull tilts toward the right with hollow eye sockets and bared teeth, clutching a club or baton in its bony hands. Klimt visualizes this menacing figure only sketchily, contrasting its dark, heavy profile with the bright forms across the canvas.

On the right, life unfolds across generations. You can see people at several stages of life, from an infant sleeping against its mother to a muscular man embracing a bowed woman, up to an elderly woman with lined skin and closed eyes. These figures appear to sleep or drift peacefully, ignoring the watcher across the void. Swirling patches of pink, bright blue, pale green, and decorative floral squares wrap around their bodies like a protective cocoon.

The emotional tone leans toward quiet endurance rather than panic. Art historians note that while contemporaries like Egon Schiele treated mortality with intense anxiety, hope predominates in Klimt’s work. The sheer volume and warm color of the living figures push back against the dark presence at the edge of the scene.

The story behind it

Klimt began working on the concept in 1908 with preliminary studies, but sources differ on the exact timeline of its completion. The English record states he worked from 1908 to 1915, while German documentation indicates he painted it across 1910 and 1911, returning to revise it in 1915 and 1916. Scholars count the work as part of Klimt’s Golden Phase, though it underwent significant changes before reaching its final appearance.

In 1911, Klimt showed the composition at the international art exhibition in Rome under the title Die Furcht vor dem Tode, where it shared first prize with nine other artists. He exhibited it under its current title in Dresden in 1912, followed by exhibitions in Budapest and Mannheim in 1913, and Prague in 1914. After these first five public showings, Klimt decided to make drastic revisions in 1915.

Klimt repainted the original golden background, replacing it with the muted grey tone visible today, and added mosaic patterns across the figures. These alterations created a sharper contrast between the glowing bodies and the surrounding void. Art historians such as Tobias G. Natter have examined these revisions, and scholar Michael Wladika compiled a detailed dossier on the painting in 2016. In the wider context of all Klimt paintings, this revision marks an important shift away from the pure gold surfaces of his earlier career.

Where to see it

You can see Death and Life at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, located within the city’s MuseumsQuartier (MQ). The museum holds one of the most substantial collections of Austrian modern art and displays this monumental canvas in its permanent galleries. If you plan a trip to Austria, our guide on where to see Klimt tracks this painting alongside other key public collections across Vienna.

The canvas measures roughly 180.5 by 200.5 centimeters, though German records list it slightly differently at 180.8 by 200.6 centimeters. Its physical presence has survived decades of international travel and recent public protests. Between 1916 and 1918, the work traveled to Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Zurich, returning regularly to Vienna after 1923, before later postwar exhibitions in Venice, London, and New York.

On 15 November 2022, activists from the group Letzte Generation targeted the painting during a climate demonstration, pouring black oil across the surface. Installed protective glass shielded the canvas, preventing any damage to the oil paint underneath. Visitors can view the original work intact in Vienna today.