A rare painting from Austrian painter Gustav Klimt is hitting the auction block after nearly a century of being lost and confiscation by the Nazis.
Titled “Fräulein Liese,” the painting is a portrait of a young woman created by famed Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, and it is set to be sold off April 24 at Vienna’s Auction House im Kinsky, according to a press release by im Kinsky.
The portrait is one of Klimt’s final works, and to complete it, the artist sat with the woman portrayed at least nine times.
“Klimt probably began the painting in May 1917,” according to the release. “The painter chose a three-quarter portrait for his depiction and shows the young woman in a strictly frontal pose, close to the foreground, against a red, undefined background. A cape richly decorated with flowers is draped around her shoulders.”
Klimt died in 1918, and following his death, the painting was brought to the family that had commissioned the work.
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The history from 1925 onward remained a mystery, as it was confiscated by the Nazis until it was found to be in the private collection of an Austrian citizen.
im Kinsky prides itself on its “international expertise in dealing with works of art that were confiscated and seized during the Nazi era,” according to the release. “With their historical knowledge of art and legal expertise, im Kinsky is well positioned to handle these sensitive projects and takes into account all interests and claims.”
