You buy from the studio that paints it — no gallery markup, no reseller margin. Final quote depends on size, frame and destination.
Price by canvas size
Every The Kiss we paint is made to order, so the price tracks the canvas size and the amount of brushwork involved. These are the sizes our customers order most:
| Size (inches) | Size (cm) | Estimated price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 × 20 in | 40 × 50 cm | $369 | A bedroom corner, a gallery group |
| 24 × 32 in | 60 × 80 cm | $649 | Above a console, hallway, dressing room |
| 35 × 47 in | 90 × 120 cm | $1,099 | Above a bed or sofa, living room focal wall |
| 47 × 63 in | 120 × 160 cm | $1,499 | Large suite, lobby, statement wall |
Estimates only — the final quote depends on your exact size, frame and shipping destination. Framing and shipping are quoted separately. Duties and import taxes are the buyer's responsibility (DAP).
Tell us your size and frame — we reply with an exact quote, usually within the hour.
💬 Get a The Kiss Quote on WhatsAppWhy a print cannot do this painting
The gold in The Kiss is not yellow paint. Klimt used genuine gold leaf, which means light does not sit on the surface — it comes back out of it. Move past the canvas and the gold shifts from warm to pale. The man's robe is built from flat, precise black-and-white rectangles; the woman's dress is a field of soft florals that has to stay delicate against all that metal.
A printed canvas gives you flat mustard where the gold should be and a slightly blurred repeat where the pattern should be. The whole point of the painting — that the two figures are dissolving into the material around them — is what gets lost.
There is a test we encourage buyers to use on any "oil painting" they are offered: run a fingernail very gently across the surface. A hand-painted canvas feels like terrain. A print feels like glass.
The painting itself
Klimt was the son of a gold engraver and treated gold leaf the way other painters treat pigment. The Kiss was painted in Vienna and bought by the Austrian state before it was finished, which was unusual for a work that radical.
The composition is deliberately unstable: his robe is vertical geometry, hers is curves and flowers, and both kneel on a meadow of blossom that stops abruptly at the edge of the canvas. Our painters work the gold passages last, in thin layers over a warm underpainting, so the leaf reads metallic rather than yellow.
How our painters reproduce it
Our studio is in Dafen Oil Painting Village, Shenzhen — the centre of hand-painted oil reproduction for more than thirty years. A The Kiss here is not traced, projected or transferred. The painter works freehand from a high-resolution reference, in layers:
- Composition and ground. The canvas is toned and the main forms laid out in a thin underpainting, matching the original proportions to your chosen size.
- Colour build-up. The palette is mixed in oil, not acrylic — only oil gives the same depth, slow blending and the slightly translucent glow the original depends on.
- Impasto and surface passes. The signature strokes go on last, loaded with paint, following the direction of the original's brushwork. This is the slowest and most skilful stage.
- Drying and inspection. Layered oil needs days to set properly. We let it. Then the finished canvas is checked against the reference for colour, composition and stroke character.
Where it hangs best
Gold leaf, pattern, and two figures dissolving into one another — the most reproduced decorative painting ever made. Rooms our customers choose most often:
- Bedroom — the gold reads warm and intimate in low light
- Living room — a known image that anchors a neutral scheme
- Dressing room or hallway — the ornament rewards close viewing
- Hospitality — suites and lounges that want Vienna 1900 glamour
Framing
Choose gold to echo the original's warmth, matte black for a contemporary room, walnut for a traditional interior, or no frame at all as a gallery-wrap canvas ready to hang. Frames are quoted separately and packed with corner protection.
How ordering works
- Tell us the painting, size and frame. WhatsApp is fastest — include a wall photo if you want sizing advice.
- Get an exact quote. Usually within the hour, with the timeline confirmed in writing.
- 70% deposit starts the painting. Paid by bank transfer, PayPal, credit card or Wise.
- We send photographs of the finished painting. You review it before anything ships. If something clearly does not match your order notes, tell us and we adjust it.
- Pay the 30% balance, then we ship. Tracked worldwide courier, rolled in a rigid tube or crated if framed.
FAQ
Is this hand-painted or printed?
100% hand-painted in oil on artist canvas by a studio painter in Dafen. No printing, no transfer, no giclée. You can feel the brushwork on the surface.
How much does it cost?
Est. $369–$1499 depending on canvas size, from 16 × 20 in up to 47 × 63 in. Frame and shipping quoted separately.
Can I order a size that is not on the list?
Yes — any size. The painter works freehand on a blank canvas, so we can also crop the composition slightly to fit your wall proportions.
How do I approve it before shipping?
We send photographs of the finished painting. You approve first, then pay the 30% balance and we ship. If something clearly does not match your order notes, tell us and we adjust it before it leaves.
How long does it take?
Most take 2–4 weeks depending on size and the studio queue. Layered oil needs proper drying time. The timeline is confirmed in writing before any deposit.
Who pays import duty?
Shipping is worldwide and tracked, typically DHL or FedEx, quoted separately. Import duties and taxes in your country are the buyer's responsibility (DAP).
Ready to commission a real The Kiss? Send the size and frame — quote back within the hour.
💬 Start My The Kiss Order