This book examines the life, influences, and work of Klimt, from his start as a fresco painter to his landscapes, innovative portraits, and The Kiss. Many of his paintings are handsomely reproduced, and some sketches and photographs are also included. A lack of source material, occasionally choppy translation from the German, and some odd design choices hamper the volume.

Beautiful reproductions of the Viennese painter Gustav Klimt's work can't make up for the dry and sometimes nonsensical cataloguing of facts about Klimt and the fin de siecle art scene in Vienna. An observant young person might wonder why, for example, if the members of the Secession movement "wanted a completely new approach to art," they would build an exhibition space that resembled a Roman temple. In the case of Klimt, perhaps the less one knows about the artist the better. That he lived with his mother and two sisters, had love affairs with his portrait subjects, wore a long, flowing smock which smelled, owing to its never being washed, and had a huge appetite are details that do not enhance the experience of viewing his magnificent paintings. (Nonfiction. 12+)

Gr 6-8-In this slim volume, significant aspects of the Austrian artist's life, times, and work are touched upon. From frescoes in theaters to elegant portraits mostly of women, the featured paintings are colorful and sometimes ornate with elaborate patterns and accented with gold. The quality reproductions demonstrate the range of Klimt's art from the intimate The Kiss to the pastoral A Farmhouse on Lake Atter. This attractive introduction provides enough information for brief reports.-Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.