A portrait of a young woman by Gustav Klimt, long believed to be lost, was sold at an auction in Vienna for €30 million. The painting, started in 1917, is one of Klimt’s last works and went to a bidder from Hong Kong. The sale price was at the lower end of an expected range of €30 million – €50 million, but it still represents a significant achievement for the auction house.
A portrait by renowned Austrian modernist artist Gustav Klimt, known for its vibrant colors and unfinished sections, has been sold at auction in Vienna for 30 million euros ($32 million). The ‘Portrait of Fräulein Lieser’, believed to be one of Klimt’s last works, depicts a young woman and was started in 1917, a year before the artist’s death. Due to uncertainties surrounding its provenance during the Nazi era, the current owners and heirs of the Lieser family agreed to proceed with the sale under the Washington Principles, which provide guidance on Nazi-confiscated art restitution.
