Gustav Klimt. Adam and Eva (unfinished) 1917-1918. Oil on canvas 175 x 60 cm. The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria. Here Eve is standing nude in front of Adam. Klimt lived in Vienna in Austria and drew his inspiration more from the East than the West, from "such sources as Byzantine art, Mycenean metalwork, Persian rugs and miniatures, the mosaics of the Ravenna churches, and Japanese screens."

Klimt: "Whoever wants to know something about me as an artist, the only notable thing ought to look carefully at my pictures and try to see in them what I am and what I want to do."

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was one of the most innovative and controversial artists of the early twentieth century. His mature style combines richly decorative surface patterning with complex symbolism and allegory, often with overtly erotic content.