Wearing lampshades as headgear was considered super chic and fashion forward back in the 20th century…or maybe only if you were modeling for Gustav Klimt. 

Fritza Reidler seems to be sporting a Tiffany shade here, which is way cooler than your average five and dime party hat. Ms. Reidler was totally bourgeois and stylish, which tells us that the lampshade might be an intentional fashion statement and not the artist’s mistake. I’d say it’s a successful risk. The halo-like quality and spotless white gown make her look like some sort of Virgin Mary reincarnate. Unfortunately the palette seems to have spread to her skin, which is a little on the ghostly side.

This painting is unmistakably Klimt-y in its decorative decadence. The backless armchair upon which Fritza primly poses is flattened from three-dimensionality, into what seems to be a pattern of eyes, mouths or vaginas. Take your pick! 

And if any of you movie buffs are reading along, then you should know that Portrait of Fritza Reidler was featured in Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon (who, on a separate note, may have been the sexiest thieving threesome in the history of cinema), robbed him for all he was worth. And it was supposed to replace the painting Adele Bloch-Bauer I they stole in an earlier (less sh*tty) Ocean's film. But it's whatevs...they could nick my Klimt any day.