Klimt's Lost Portrait of Fraulein Lieser Sells for €30 Million at Auction

Gustav Klimt's 'Portrait of Fraulein Lieser,' painted in 1917 and missing for nearly a century, was sold at auction in Vienna for €30 million. The work, measuring 140×80 cm, depicts a young woman in floral motifs against an orange background, left unfinished in small areas. It was commissioned by the Jewish Lieser family shortly before Klimt's death in 1918. The identity of the sitter remains uncertain, possibly Helene (1898-1962) or Annie (1901-72). The auction house im Kinsky announced the rediscovery in January 2024, calling it a 'sensational' find and estimating the value between €30 and €50 million. The sale took place on April 24, 2024, at im Kinsky's Vienna venue, achieving the lower estimate. This result fell short of the European record set in June 2023 when Klimt's 'Lady with a Fan' sold for €86 million at Sotheby's. The buyer remains anonymous, as does the previous owner, a private Austrian citizen. The painting's whereabouts during the Nazi era are unclear; im Kinsky could not confirm whether it was confiscated by the regime, but it is known to have passed through three successions to the last owners. Before the auction, the work toured the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, and Hong Kong.