Gustav Klimt painting missing for nearly a century is worth about $54 million

The 140cm x 80cm portrait of Fräulein Lieser, believed to be one of the last works by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, is expected to fetch up to $54 million at an upcoming auction, creating a huge stir in the art world .

The painting was long considered lost.

According to the Vienna auction house im Kinsky, the painting was long considered lost. However, it has now been discovered that it is owned by an Austrian citizen.

"The rediscovery of this portrait is a sensation. It is one of the finest portraits from Gustav Klimt's late period," the auction house said in a press release on its website.

This incredibly vibrant and colorful work was documented in the artist's portfolio but experts had only seen it in a black and white photograph.

The owner of the painting was a member of a wealthy Austrian Jewish family, belonging to the upper class of society, living in Vienna, where Klimt found his patrons and clients.

Austrian painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Brothers Adolf and Justus Lieser were leading industrialists in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Gustav Klimt's catalogue shows that Adolf commissioned the artist to paint his teenage daughter Margarethe Constance. However, new research by the auction house has determined that Justus' wife, Henriette, commissioned the artist to paint one of their daughters.

A statement on the Kinsky auction house's website revealed that the model visited Klimt's studio nine times in April and May 1917. He made at least 25 sketches and most likely began painting in May of that year.

"The artist depicts a young woman in a serious pose facing forward against a reddish-orange background. A richly decorated floral cloak is draped around her shoulders. The painting's unique color scheme and shift to soft, open brushstrokes show Klimt at the height of his late period," the auction house said.

The Portrait of Fräulein Lieser

When the artist died of a stroke in February 1918, the painting remained in his studio with some small details left unfinished. It was later given to the Lieser family.

According to the auction house, its exact fate after 1925 is “unclear.” Following Klimt’s exhibition at the Neue Galerie in Vienna, Austria in 1925, the painting passed into a private collection. The only record of the work is a black-and-white photograph taken around the time of its exhibition in 1925. It is widely believed that the painting belonged to Adolf or Henriette Lieser, before being acquired around 1960 and eventually passed to an anonymous Austrian citizen.

The auction house confirmed that the Gustav Klimt painting will be sold on behalf of the anonymous Austrian owners, along with the legal heirs of "Adolf and Lieser".

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/buc-tranh-cua-gustav-klimt-mat-tich-gan-mot-the-ky-co-gia-khoang-54-trieu-usd-185240128081158608.htm