[ad_1]
NEW DELHI: A portrait by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt that was unseen for almost a century (believed to be) has finally been found in Vienna and is expected to fetch millions when it goes up for auction.
The ‘Portrait of Fraulein Lieser,’ which once belonged to a Jewish family in Austria, was last publically seen in 1925 and will now belong to someone after the auction which is scheduled for April 24, BBC reported.
The im Kinsky auction house estimates the painting’s value at more than $54 million (£42 million). It called the rediscovery “a sensation”.
In a statement, im Kinsky said that the painting of such ‘rarity, artistic significance and value’ has not been available on the art market in Central Europe for decades.
The intensely vivid and colorful piece had been documented in catalogues of the artist’s work, but experts had only seen it in a black-and-white photo, reported CNN.
The sitter is known to have been a member of a wealthy Austrian Jewish family who were then part of the upper class of Viennese society, where Klimt found his patrons and clients. Nevertheless, her identity is not completely certain.
The foundation of this is the Washington Principles, an international pact to restore Nazi-obtained artwork to the ancestors of the persons who stole it.
According to the auction house, the painting will be seen before the auction in several other countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and Hong Kong.
The affluent Jewish entrepreneurs of Vienna, the Lieser family, formerly owned the painting.
Co-Managing Director of Kinsky Auction House Ernst Ploil stated that they had not yet discovered any proof that the artwork had been taken or plundered before or during World War Two, according to BBC.
“The painting is described as lost in all catalogues raisonnés (comprehensive lists of Klimt’s work). In our circles, ‘lost’ means probably destroyed, probably burnt during the war, but in any case no longer in existence; it was not to be expected that it would ever reappear.
“We took an active approach and not only researched the Lieser family as potential restitution claimants, but we also approached potential representatives based on our experience from previous restitution proceedings.”
The ‘Portrait of Fraulein Lieser,’ which once belonged to a Jewish family in Austria, was last publically seen in 1925 and will now belong to someone after the auction which is scheduled for April 24, BBC reported.
The im Kinsky auction house estimates the painting’s value at more than $54 million (£42 million). It called the rediscovery “a sensation”.
In a statement, im Kinsky said that the painting of such ‘rarity, artistic significance and value’ has not been available on the art market in Central Europe for decades.
The intensely vivid and colorful piece had been documented in catalogues of the artist’s work, but experts had only seen it in a black-and-white photo, reported CNN.
The sitter is known to have been a member of a wealthy Austrian Jewish family who were then part of the upper class of Viennese society, where Klimt found his patrons and clients. Nevertheless, her identity is not completely certain.
The foundation of this is the Washington Principles, an international pact to restore Nazi-obtained artwork to the ancestors of the persons who stole it.
According to the auction house, the painting will be seen before the auction in several other countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and Hong Kong.
The affluent Jewish entrepreneurs of Vienna, the Lieser family, formerly owned the painting.
Co-Managing Director of Kinsky Auction House Ernst Ploil stated that they had not yet discovered any proof that the artwork had been taken or plundered before or during World War Two, according to BBC.
“The painting is described as lost in all catalogues raisonnés (comprehensive lists of Klimt’s work). In our circles, ‘lost’ means probably destroyed, probably burnt during the war, but in any case no longer in existence; it was not to be expected that it would ever reappear.
“We took an active approach and not only researched the Lieser family as potential restitution claimants, but we also approached potential representatives based on our experience from previous restitution proceedings.”
#Lost #Gustav #Klimt #portrait #century
