Lost painting by Gustav Klimt sold for 30 million euros in Vienna – Culture

Klimt’s unfinished painting Portrait of Miss Leeser made in the spring of 1917, when he was one of the most celebrated portrait painters in Europe.

Until the auction house announced in January of this year that the painting foundonly a black and white photo of her was available.

The reappearance of this painting, which was created just a year before Klimt’s death, along with an interesting back story, has created quite a bit of public interest.

As a result, around 15,000 visitors came to see the painting live while it was on display before the auction, where it was expected to sell for between 30 and 50 million euros.

Some of the questions related to the painting have not been answered, as it is not known who exactly the subject is, although it is believed to be one of the daughters of Adolf or Justus Lieser, wealthy industrialist brothers.

After Klimt’s death, the painting ended up in the Lizer family, although it was difficult to determine which branch of the family claimed it, and its whereabouts between 1925 and 1961 are unknown.

Its path after that is more or less known, but the auction house did not want to reveal who the painting ended up with and where it came from for sale.

Source: The Guardian