Feature image: Emilie Flöge via Harper's Bazaar
Emilie Flöge: The Woman Behind Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss”
A muse is a force of inspiration for a creative artist. Whether it be a friend, foe, lover, or god, an artist’s muse has been illustrated for centuries. We have seen the impact of a muse through Michelangelo’s infatuation with Tommaso dei Cavaleri, Salvador Dalí and Gala Dalí’s tumultuous marriage, Alex Katz and Ada Katz’s prolific love, and Gustav Klimt and Emilie Flöge’s companionship.
Each muse is a distinct entity, defined by its own unique traits. Therefore, it deserves to be remembered in its own right. While their association with the artist and their accomplishments can be synchronously recollected, it’s imperative to spotlight the individuals’ reputations.
Emilie Flöge, the late 1890s and early 1900s Austrian designer, was a unique figure in her own right. Co-running a haute couture company, Schwestern Flöge, with her sister Helene, she pioneered forward-thinking designs that defied the traditional norms of women’s clothing. Her exploration of new silhouettes, patterns, and textures and her rejection of the constricting corset set her apart from other Viennese designers. Her most iconic creation, the “Reform Dress,” symbolized female liberation, a flowy, corsetless dress that could be described in modern terms as very Stevie Nicks-esque. With its bohemian aesthetic and comfort-first design, Flöge revolutionized the everyday dress for Viennese women.
In 1891, Helene Flöge married Ernst Klimt, Gustav Klimt’s brother. After the wedding, Gustav spent frequent days at the Flöge family’s house in Lake Attersee. Only one year after Helene and Ernst’s ceremony, Ernst died, making Gustav Klimt Helene’s legal guardian. With his presence even more frequent than before, Emilie and Gustav quickly formed a bond that would leave historians questioning if it was platonic or something more.
Historians believe Klimt began painting Flöge in 1891. His infatuation with her is unassailable, as evidenced by the countless paintings inspired by her abstract, Wiener Werkstätte-style patterns.
Klimt had upwards of 14 children with multiple women, most of whom were his models. Klimt and Flöge’s relationship fostered neither children nor a marriage but exemplified an undeniable admiration through exchanged letters and works of art. Although their relationship status was never formally confirmed, Klimt and Flöge had a connection beyond physical, if physical at all.
In only one official painting, Klimt illustrated Flöge; you can see most of his inspiration drawn from Flöge through pattern and design. This is important to note when recollecting their assumed relationship. Klimt was a known womanizer. However, he never bore children with Emilie. Only on one occasion was she his direct model. This could attest that her intellectuality rather than her physicality inspired him.
“The Kiss” and Other Works Inspired by Flöge
Flöge’s iconic and signature patterns flooded various of Klimt’s paintings. The abstract shapes on the models’ silhouettes resemble Flöge’s Reform Dress and many other patterns for which she was well known. However, some of Klimt’s work directly portrays Flöge herself.
“The Kiss” is by far one of the most famous paintings ever, ranking in notoriety alongside Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.” Whether or not the viewer knows the name or artist, most people have seen “The Kiss” at least once. It is a romantic, whimsical portrayal of a man and woman embracing one another decorated in gold and florals.
This portrait is one of the few direct examples of Klimt’s admiration for Flöge. Here, we see a 28-year-old Flöge in the eyes of a 40-year-old Klimt. In most of his work, Klimt shows his infatuation with Flöge through her bohemian patterns and silhouettes on his models’ dresses. But with “Portrait of Emilie Flöge,” we see her as he sees her physically instead of creatively or intellectually.
This portrait is hand-in-hand with “The Kiss,” reigning as two of Klimt’s most famous paintings. Decorated in flakes of real gold, Klimt illustrated Adele Bloch-Bauer, a Viennese socialite whose husband was a sugar industrialist Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. Her husband commissioned this piece and “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II” (1912), both of which were victims of theft from the Nazis during World War II. Flöge’s touch in this painting shines brightly through Bloch-Bauer’s dress. In a photo taken by Koloman Moser, Flöge wears a dress by Moser. Despite the dress not being designed by Flöge, Klimt persisted in drawing inspiration from her and her creative choices.
Emilie Flöge’s Legacy Beyond Gustav Klimt
After Klimt’s death in 1918, he left half of his estate to Flöge and the rest to her various children and family members. She continued her shop with her sister until 1938, Austria's annexation. In the final days of WWII, her house in Ungargasse caught fire, destroying her designs and garments and Klimt’s objects from his estate.
Over 100 years later, Flöge’s mastery continues to catch the eye of modern art lovers, designers, and even the form-First Lady Michelle Obama. Her portrait “Michelle Obama” (2016) is said to have been inspired by the patterns in Klimt’s paintings, which Flöge ultimately inspired; the geometric shapes embody Flöge’s signature bold designs.
Emilie Flöge's influence extended far beyond her association with Gustav Klimt. She was a bold, creative, and outspoken woman who changed the trajectory of Viennese women’s fashion. Her support of the feminist movement and her dedication to women’s freedom in the early 1900s remain integral to her legacy. She is more than a muse; she is Emilie Flöge, a figure who continues to inspire and empower women in the world of fashion.
