Gustav Klimt (1862–1918), Girl Friends (Die Freundinnen), 1916–1917, Remastered by Elliott Best

A deeply intimate meditation on companionship, tenderness, and quiet human connection.

Painted during the last years of the artist's life, the composition departs from the shimmering gold of his celebrated "Golden Phase" while retaining the decorative richness that made Klimt one of the defining artists of the Vienna Secession. Here, expressive colour, delicate pattern, and gentle emotion take centre stage.

The two women occupy a remarkably close pictorial space. One gazes directly toward the viewer while the other rests peacefully against her companion, creating a composition that feels both timeless and profoundly personal. Around them, Klimt balances richly ornamented fabrics, symbolic floral motifs, and a magnificent pheasant whose brilliant plumage echoes the decorative rhythms found throughout the painting.

Rather than presenting a formal portrait, Klimt invites us into a quiet moment of trust, affection, and shared humanity.

Elliott Best Restoration Signature™

Over more than a century, subtle fading, surface discoloration, and photographic limitations have softened many reproductions of this remarkable painting. Our Restoration Signature™ has been carefully applied to recover the painting's original visual harmony while preserving every element of Klimt's composition.

This restoration includes:

• Recovery of the painting's warm coral and crimson palette

• Restoration of subtle tonal modelling throughout the figures

• Increased clarity within Klimt's intricate ornamental patterns

• Improved separation between foreground figures and background atmosphere

• Preservation of original brushwork, composition, and painterly texture

The objective is not to reinterpret Klimt's vision, but to reveal it with renewed clarity, allowing modern collectors to experience the painting with a richness that closely reflects its original appearance.

Curator's Notes: Painted in 1916–1917, Girl Friends belongs to the remarkably expressive final chapter of Gustav Klimt's career. During these years, his paintings became increasingly fluid and painterly, replacing extensive gold leaf with luminous colour and freer brushwork while maintaining the ornamental elegance that defined his style.

The relationship between the two women has long fascinated historians. Rather than offering a fixed narrative, Klimt leaves their connection deliberately open to interpretation. The painting has been viewed as a celebration of friendship, feminine solidarity, intimacy, maternal tenderness, and emotional comfort—its enduring power lying precisely in its ambiguity.

The magnificent pheasant, positioned alongside the figures, is more than a decorative flourish. Throughout Klimt's work, birds, flowers, and richly patterned textiles blur the boundaries between nature and ornament, transforming the painting into a unified tapestry of colour and symbolism.

Today, Girl Friends stands as one of Klimt's most emotionally resonant late works—celebrated not for spectacle, but for its extraordinary warmth, humanity, and quiet psychological depth.