Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna in Austria-
Hungary, the second of seven children - three boys and four
girls. All three sons displayed artistic talent early on.
Klimt's younger brothers were Ernst Klimt and Georg Klimt. His
father, Ernst Klimt the Elder, formerly from Bohemia, was a gold
engraver. Ernst married Anna Klimt (née Finster), whose
unrealized ambition was to be a musical performer. Klimt lived
in poverty for most of his childhood, as work was scarce and
economic advancement was difficult for immigrants. In 1876,
Klimt was awarded a scholarship to the Vienna School of Arts and
Crafts (Kunstgewerbeschule), where he studied until 1883, and
received training as an architectural painter. He revered the
foremost history painter of the time, Hans Makart. Klimt readily
accepted the principles of a conservative training; his early
work may be classified as academic. In 1877 his brother Ernst,
who, like his father, would become an engraver, also enrolled in
the school. The two brothers and t