Stolen Klimt Portrait Found Hidden in Piacenza Gallery After 22 Years
The painting "Ritratto di Signora" by Gustav Klimt, which was stolen on February 9, 1997, has been recovered in a concealed compartment at the Galleria Ricci Oddi in Piacenza. It was found during a cleaning process, tucked inside a black plastic bag and still bearing its original stamps and seals. Local journalist Ermanno Mariani reported the discovery. Massimo Ferrari, the gallery director, expressed that it would be a significant achievement if the seals are indeed authentic. Police commissioner Pietro Ostuni confirmed that it will be secured for examination. After remaining unsolved for 22 years, the case was reopened in 2014 and highlighted on "Chi l'ha visto?" in 2017. The artwork, created between 1916 and 1918, is one of three Klimt pieces in Italy.
Key facts
- Gustav Klimt's 'Ritratto di Signora' stolen from Galleria Ricci Oddi, Piacenza on February 9, 1997
- Painting discovered on December 2019 in a hidden trapdoor during ivy cleaning on an exterior wall
- Found inside a black plastic bag, still with original stamps and seals, without its frame
- Gallery director Massimo Ferrari and police commissioner Pietro Ostuni involved in verification
- Journalist Ermanno Mariani of Libertà newspaper had covered the case extensively
- Theft remained unsolved for 22 years with multiple false leads including esoteric and criminal theories
- Case reopened in 2014 and featured on TV program 'Chi l'ha visto?' in 2017
- In 1996, student Claudia Maga discovered a hidden portrait beneath the visible layer using X-rays
- Painting is one of only three Klimt works in Italy; others are at Ca' Pesaro, Venice and Galleria Nazionale, Rome
- Official confirmation of authenticity announced on January 17, 2020
Entities
Artists
- Gustav Klimt
- Giulio Ulisse Arata
- Luigi Scopinich
- Giovanni Fattori
- Direstori
- Chahine
Institutions
- Galleria Ricci Oddi
- Libertà
- Metropolitan Museum
- Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Ca’ Pesaro
- Galleria Nazionale di Roma
- Artribune
Locations
- Piacenza
- Italy
- Vienna
- Dresda
- Venezia
- Roma