Klimt Drawing Found After 50 Years in a Drawer
A long-forgotten artwork by Gustav Klimt, titled *Zwei Liegende* (Two Reclining Figures), has been discovered after being missing for more than five decades. The piece was initially loaned by Olga Jäger in 1951 to the Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz, along with three works by Egon Schiele. Following Jäger's passing in 2006, her family sought the return of the artworks, only to find them lost, prompting a multimillion-euro legal dispute. A 2017 revelation uncovered that the Klimt drawing was retained by a former museum secretary. It is now showcased at the Lentos Art Museum, alongside a reward for details about the Schiele pieces.
Key facts
- Gustav Klimt drawing Zwei Liegende lost for over 50 years
- Drawing loaned to Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz in 1951 by Olga Jäger
- Three Egon Schiele works also missing: Dead City, Young Man, Paar
- Heirs demanded return after Jäger's death in 2006
- Museum faced €8 million lawsuit for the loss
- Secretary of former director revealed possession in 2017 deathbed statement
- Drawing given to secretary by director to conceal improper loan documentation
- Drawing now exhibited at Lentos Art Museum Linz until May 21, 2018
- €5,000 reward for information on missing Schiele works
- Vienna centenary celebrations for Klimt, Schiele, Moser, Wagner underway
Entities
Artists
- Gustav Klimt
- Egon Schiele
- Koloman Moser
- Otto Wagner
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Edvard Munch
Institutions
- Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz
- Lentos Art Museum
- Leopold Museum
- Klimt Foundation
- Belvedere
- Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Munchmuseet
- Louvre
Locations
- Linz
- Austria
- Vienna
- Oslo
- Norway
- Paris
- France
- Varese
- Italy