'The Kiss' and 'The Three Ages'

In 1908, along with several of their comrades, Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann organized a comprehensive exhibit entitled the Art Show. Hoffmann built the entire exhibition building in record time—it was originally intended as a temporary construction to be pulled down after two years.

Klimt exhibited 16 paintings at the show; all of which were gathered together spectacularly in 1 hall. Koloman Moser is credited with the striking, minimalist design of the hall, while Klimt himself is said to have hung the paintings. The two highlights of the exhibit were The Kiss (Lovers) (Der Kuss (Liebespaar)) and The Three Ages of Woman (Die drei Lebensalter der Frau).

Although it was clearly unfinished, the Ministry of Education purchased the painting for the exorbitant sum of 25,000 crowns while the exhibit was still ongoing. The painting ended up in Vienna's Moderne Galerie, which had been established in the Lower Belvedere just a few years before.

Klimt pursued similar themes in both paintings. They could be described as symbolic interpretations of the critical moments in human life. In Lovers, the two figures are both experiencing an emotional climax. Whereas in The Three Ages of Woman, Klimt contrasts the charm of young motherhood with the burden of old age—they are depicted as polar opposites.

Close correlations can be drawn between the motifs Klimt uses, particularly in The Three Ages, and his symbolic illustrations of the circle of life, which he depicts in all its conceivable nuances in the famous Faculty Paintings he created for the University of Vienna.

The City of Venice bought Klimt's Judith II (Salome) painting at the time, which he created in 1909 and exhibited at the Biennale.

Around the same time, it seems that The Three Ages of Woman also drew the attention of the Italian arts authorities. In fact, the former Italian Ministry of Education and Art acquired The Three Ages of Woman just one year later for the National Gallery of Modern Art (Galleria Nazionale d´arte moderna) in Rome. The purchase took place during the International Exhibition of Art (Internationale Kunstausstellung), which was held in Rome from April through December 1911.

Austria-Hungary was one of 27 participating countries in the vast International Exhibition of Art and invested in its own pavilion, which was constructed by Josef Hoffmann for the entire duration of the show. 

Yet another hall dedicated entirely to Klimt formed the center of the pavilion, in which he exhibited eight paintings.

It is highly unlikely that The Three Ages of Woman was exhibited at the International Exhibition of Art in Rome. Its acquisition by the Italian ministry was, however, processed by the administrators of the International Exhibition of Art. The Italian ministry paid 16,900 lire for the painting. On top of this, Klimt was awarded a special prize worth 10,000 lire at the Rome exhibition.