Intelligence Squared Sotheby’s Talks | The Leonard A. Lauder Collection: Klimt and the Art of Connoisseurship
Nov 10, 2025
Helena Newman, Sotheby’s Chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art, shares insights on Klimt’s unique portrait techniques. Flavia Frigeri discusses the vibrant Viennese culture that influenced Klimt's work, while James Stourton highlights the broader cultural significance of Leonard Lauder's collection. They explore Klimt's evolution from his golden period to softer landscapes, the impact of World War I, and Lauder's philanthropic legacy in the art world. Together, they delve into the fascinating stories behind iconic pieces, including the extraordinary Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer.
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Klimt's Portrait As Unified Plane
- Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer fuses background, dress and figure into a single plane, creating a destabilising, emblematic composition.
- Its scale, rarity and signature palette make it one of Klimt's last great commissioned full-length portraits still in private hands.
Vienna's Cross-Disciplinary Creative Scene
- Vienna around 1900 was a holistic creative scene where artists, designers and architects collaborated on total projects.
- Klimt's work reflects that cross-disciplinary world, marrying fashion, architecture and decorative arts into his portraits.
Portraiture Shifted By Photography
- Photography killed the old commemorative society portrait and opened space for portraiture as private artistic expression.
- Klimt's portraits belong to this new private, expressive tradition rather than public social representation.