Bösendorfer Artist Series Klimt ‘Woman in Gold’ Debuts at the 2017 NAMM Show

Bösendorfer Artist Series Klimt 'Woman in Gold' Debuts at the 2017 NAMM Show

—Limited Edition Piano is an Enduring Piece of Musical Art and a Tribute to Viennese Culture—

 

ANAHEIM (January 19, 2017) — Is it a piano or is it art? This latest addition to the Bösendorfer Artist Series pianos is decidedly both. Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), one of the most famous artists of Viennese Art Nouveau, and Bösendorfer, one of the most respected names in piano manufacturing, represent the epitome of Austrian culture and dedicated craftsmanship. The resulting "Woman in Gold" grand piano – available as 214VC (7') and 200 (6'7") models – is a musical tour de force, visually enhanced by Klimt's definitive masterpiece from his Golden Phase.

Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy entrepreneur and art connoisseur, commissioned Klimt to paint a portrait of his wife, Adele Bloch-Bauer, in 1903. Klimt travelled to Italy, and, inspired by the gold-decorated church mosaics he saw, translated this ancient art form to contemporary art. To create the portrait, Klimt produced more than 100 sketches and studies, and experimented with various techniques for applying extensive amounts of silver and gold leaf to the oil painting. Bösendorfer was equally exacting in creating this homage to one of Austria's most noted artists.

Like its predecessor, "The Kiss," Bösendorfer relied on sophisticated reprographic techniques to transfer a high-resolution image of the original painting to the inside of the piano's lid. Skilled artisans then applied gold leaf to the art and lavishly gilded the music desk and tops of the legs, masterfully reflecting the golden expression of Art Nouveau. The Klimt model is limited to 25 instruments and each Grand Piano carries an individually crafted brass plate indicating its number.

"A sincere tribute to precious materials and secessionist art, this Klimt model is not only beautiful in design, but it also has the incomparable Bösendorfer sound with its unparalleled number of diverse tonal colors," says Simon Oss, premium piano marketing manager, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Traditional Austrian craftsmanship and heritage perfectly complement Gustav Klimt's inimitable Viennese Art Nouveau style, reflecting a symbiosis of all levels of Austrian culture-art, music and craftsmanship."

Each piano includes the exclusive book "Gustav Klimt / Josef Hoffmann: Pioneers of Modernism," which focuses on the Modernist Movement at the turn of the century, and was published at an exhibition at The Belvedere Museum in Vienna.

Pricing and Availability

Bösendorfer Artist Series Klimt "Woman in Gold" (MSRP: Size 200, $169,999; Size 214, $184,999) will ship in January 2017.

For more information, visit the Yamaha Booth at the 2017 NAMM Show in the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, Marquis Ballroom, January 19-22, 2017, or visit 4wrd.it/BOSENDORFER