Select the painting to see it full screen and zoom in.
What the painting shows
Two Girls with an Oleander by Klimt shows two young women standing beside a flowering oleander bush against an architectural stone background. The woman in the foreground appears in sharp profile. She wears a dark patterned dress, a light band across her forehead, and a dark cap covering her hair. Her hands gently cup a bunch of pink oleander flowers blooming on slender stems.
Behind her stands a second young girl with reddish-brown hair and a direct gaze. She wears a red garment and looks out toward the right side of the frame. To the left, the dark trunk and thin gray branches of the oleander rise upward, bearing green leaves and clusters of pink blossoms. A carved stone molding and smooth yellow stone blocks fill the background behind the figures.
The story behind it
Gustav Klimt painted Two Girls with an Oleander between 1890 and 1892. The painting is categorized among his early works.
The piece is also cataloged among his portraits. In this composition, Klimt focuses on the quiet interaction between the two sitters and the flowering branch in front of architectural masonry.
Where to see it
You can view Two Girls with an Oleander at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford. The museum preserves the painting in its public collection.
Questions about Two Girls with an Oleander
Where is Two Girls with an Oleander by Klimt?
Two Girls with an Oleander by Klimt is in the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford. The Hartford museum holds this original artwork as part of its permanent collection, allowing visitors to see one of the artist's early portrait paintings in person.
When did Klimt paint Two Girls with an Oleander?
Gustav Klimt painted Two Girls with an Oleander between 1890 and 1892. Because it dates to the early 1890s, the painting is grouped among Klimt's early works. It serves as a key example of his portraiture from this time, combining two female figures with botanical and classical stone elements.
