Gustav Klimt – Sunflower

Sunflower is Klimt’s square painting of 1907/1908: a single tall sunflower in the middle of a dense green hedge painted like a patterned tapestry, with bright summer flowers blooming at its foot. The original, oil and gold leaf on canvas, hangs in the Upper Belvedere in Vienna. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in eight square sizes or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.

Sunflower – Gustav Klimt

What is shown?

In the middle of the square canvas stands a single tall sunflower. Its head, a brown centre ringed with yellow petals, leans slightly at the top of the stem, and its broad green leaves fall along the stem like a long dress. At the bottom the leaves curve almost protectively over a cluster of bright summer flowers: white, red, violet and blue blossoms scattered in the grass.

All around the sunflower is a dense hedge that Klimt painted not as real foliage but as a patterned tapestry of small green and blue strokes. Into this background he set tiny flecks of metal leaf: gold, silver, brass and platinum. The Belvedere notes that this effect is rare in Klimt’s work. There is no sky, no horizon and no shadow, so the scene reads as a decorative surface rather than a view through a window.

Is it a sunflower or a hidden figure?

Almost everyone who sees the painting for the first time asks this. The sunflower is painted so upright and alone that many see an almost human form in it: the flower as a head, the leaves as a long dress, the cluster of flowers at its foot as the hem of a skirt. The Belvedere records that observers have noticed this figure-like quality.

Klimt left no explanation. The honest answer is that some see a figure in it and others simply a flower in a blooming garden. That ambiguity is exactly why the painting does not feel like an ordinary still life but like a portrait that looks back at you.

What does Klimt’s sunflower mean?

The sunflower is the flower that follows the sun, and in art it often stands for summer, warmth and vitality. Klimt placed it at the centre, set apart from everything else, as if he were painting an individual rather than a garden. The flowers at its foot are light and colourful, the hedge behind is dark and dense, so the bloom appears even more solitary and dignified.

Because the painting has neither sky nor horizon, the eye does not look for depth but rests on pattern and colour. That is typical of Klimt’s landscapes: they are not a record of a place but a decorative whole in which every leaf has its place. For a room, it also means the painting feels calm and lively at the same time.

How did Sunflower reach the Belvedere?

Klimt painted it in 1907 and 1908, the years in which The Kiss was also created, and he used metal leaf in it much as he did in the paintings of his Golden Period. For a long time it was privately owned. In 2012 the Viennese collector Peter Parzer left it to the Belvedere in his will, and the museum lists it as a bequest under inventory number 10500.

Today it hangs in the Upper Belvedere in Vienna, in the same building as The Kiss and Klimt’s Poppy Field. Older descriptions that place it in a private collection are therefore out of date.

Sunflower or Farm Garden with Sunflowers – which to choose?

Sunflowers appear twice in Klimt’s work, and the two are easily confused. This painting is the portrait of one single sunflower at the centre. Farm Garden with Sunflowers is a different, wider scene: a whole garden with several sunflowers growing among other flowers. If you want one strong motif that reads like a figure, choose Sunflower; if you want an abundant garden, choose the farm garden.

From the same world of summer gardens and meadows we also paint Poppy Field and Flower Garden, both square as well. If you prefer Klimt’s gold in a figure painting, take a look at The Kiss.

How is our hand-painted version made?

The painter first divides the square with a fine drawing: the stem, the flower head, the position of the leaves and the line between the hedge and the flowers below. The dark green background is then built up in several layers of small strokes to give it depth, and only after that come the sunflower’s leaves and its head. Finally, small touches of the brush create the summer flowers at its foot.

The metallic glints in the background of our painting are not leaf as in the original. We paint them with gold paint, which the painter applies by hand with a brush, finely and scattered, so the hedge catches the light softly.

Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are ever quite the same. A printed oil painting reproduction cannot show the relief of the brushstrokes and the shine of the gold paint that you can see and feel on the canvas.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 110 x 110 or 120 x 120 cm above a sofa, 90 x 90 or 100 x 100 cm above a chest of drawers or a bed, 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm for a smaller wall or a hallway. The sizes are 60 x 60, 70 x 70, 80 x 80, 90 x 90, 100 x 100, 110 x 110, 120 x 120 and 150 x 150 cm. 110 x 110 cm is the size of the original.

Being square, the painting sits calmly on almost any wall, and its greens and yellows freshen a room with a lot of wood or white. A painting for the living room should take up about two thirds of the width of the furniture below it, so for a three-seater sofa 110 x 110 or 120 x 120 cm is usually right.

Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 cm above the floor, and 20 to 30 cm above a chest of drawers or a sofa.

Custom size, stretcher and frame

If you need a square of a different size, for example 130 x 130 cm, or a painting for one exact spot, we paint it to measure. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote a price and a lead time. Every painting we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher and ready to hang.

For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. A slim gold or a natural wooden frame suits the green hedge well.

Delivery and guarantee

Every painting is made to order in our studio, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve, and our returns policy applies to every order.

Every other Klimt work we paint is in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and there is more about the painter in our ten facts about Klimt. If the painting is a gift and you are unsure of the size, there is a wall art voucher: the recipient chooses the size and the subject.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Klimt’s Sunflower today?

The original hangs in the Upper Belvedere in Vienna, where the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere holds it under inventory number 10500. It came to the museum in 2012 as a bequest from the Viennese collector Peter Parzer. The Kiss and Poppy Field hang in the same building, so you can see several Klimt works from the same years in a single visit.

What is the meaning of Sunflower?

In Klimt’s hands the Sunflower is almost a portrait: one flower at the centre, its head like a face and its leaves like a long dress. The sunflower stands for summer, warmth and vitality, and Klimt isolated it against a dense hedge so it looks dignified. Some see a figure in it, others a flower. More about the painter on Wikipedia.

What exactly is painted in Sunflower?

Sunflower shows a tall sunflower with a slightly inclined head and broad leaves reaching down to the ground. At its foot bloom white, red, violet and blue summer flowers. The background is a dense green hedge painted like a tapestry, set with tiny flecks of metal leaf. There is no sky and no horizon, so the whole square is one decorative surface.

When did Klimt paint Sunflower?

Sunflower dates from 1907 and 1908, which is how the Belvedere dates it. These are the years of Klimt’s Golden Period, when The Kiss was also painted, so it is no coincidence that he set gold, silver, brass and platinum leaf into the background here too. The original measures 110 x 110 cm, which is also one of our sizes.

Are Sunflower and Farm Garden with Sunflowers the same painting?

No, they are two different paintings by Klimt. Sunflower is the portrait of one single sunflower at the centre of the square, in front of a dense hedge. Farm Garden with Sunflowers shows a whole garden in which several sunflowers grow among other flowers. Both are square and both can be ordered from us; choose Sunflower if you want one strong motif.

Is the gold on your Sunflower real gold?

No, our painting has no gold leaf like the flecks Klimt set into the original. We paint the metallic glints in the hedge with gold paint, which the painter applies by hand with a brush, finely and scattered. So the whole canvas painting, including the golden glints, is painted by hand and catches the light softly in a well-lit room.

In which sizes can I order Sunflower?

Sunflower comes in eight square sizes: 60 x 60, 70 x 70, 80 x 80, 90 x 90, 100 x 100, 110 x 110, 120 x 120 and 150 x 150 cm. 110 x 110 cm is the size of the original. If you need a different size, we paint it to measure and tell you the price and the lead time in advance.

Which room suits Sunflower?

Sunflower looks best in a bright room where its greens, yellows and colourful flowers can show, such as a living room, a dining room or a kitchen. The square shape fills the wall above a sofa or a bed nicely. As the motif is single and calm, it does not need other paintings around it; give it a little space of its own.

Is Sunflower a good gift?

Yes, Sunflower makes an easy gift, because it is cheerful and summery and needs no special taste in art. It suits a house-warming, an anniversary or a birthday. If you are unsure of the size, choose a wall art voucher: the recipient picks the size and the subject, and we paint the canvas to their order.

• Subject: a single sunflower before a hedge painted like a tapestry, with summer flowers at its foot.
• Original: 1907/1908, 110 x 110 cm, Upper Belvedere, Vienna.
• Ours: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, the glints in gold paint, in eight sizes or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.