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What the painting shows
Rosebush by Klimt is a mixed media cartoon created between 1910 and 1911 for a decorative wall frieze. Klimt designed this vertical study on paper using paint and metallic details on a warm background.
In the composition, a slender dark stem curves upward through the center of the sheet. Dense rows of green and dark blue triangles fan outward along the stem to form the foliage of the bush. White circular blossoms with soft red centers dot the green branches, while small red, blue, and black butterflies drift across the upper space. Behind the plant, golden spiral branches uncurl across the paper, accented by geometric eye motifs and small star shapes near the base.
The story behind it
Klimt drew this design cartoon as part of his work on the /stoclet-frieze/ for the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Working during his celebrated /gold-period/, he developed full-scale working designs to guide the artisans who executed the final mosaic panels.
The German title of the work is Rosenstrauch. Klimt used paper and mixed media to plan the strict geometry of the leaves alongside the organic curves of the background spirals. Every triangle, blossom, and butterfly served as a direct blueprint for the finished mosaic installation.
Where to see it
You can see Rosebush in the collection of the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) in Vienna, Austria. The museum preserves Klimt’s original preparatory cartoons for the Palais Stoclet project.
Questions about Rosebush
Where is Rosebush by Klimt?
Rosebush by Gustav Klimt is located in Vienna, Austria, in the permanent collection of the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts). The museum preserves this mixed media work on paper alongside other preparatory cartoons Klimt produced for the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Visitors can view the study to observe how Klimt plotted the floral motifs, golden spirals, and geometric patterns for the larger frieze.
Which series does Rosebush belong to?
Rosebush belongs to Gustav Klimt's Stoclet Frieze project, which he designed for the dining room of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels between 1910 and 1911. Klimt produced this work on paper as a design cartoon to guide the mosaic craftsmen. It fits into the artist's gold period and shares the geometric foliage and spiral motifs found throughout the frieze.
