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| 'Lost' Gustav Klimt painting sells for €30m | 'Lost' Gustav Klimt painting sells for €30m |
| (1 day later) | |
| The painting is thought to depict a daughter of either Adolf or Justus Lieser | The painting is thought to depict a daughter of either Adolf or Justus Lieser |
| A painting by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt that was believed lost for the past 100 years has been sold at auction in Vienna. | A painting by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt that was believed lost for the past 100 years has been sold at auction in Vienna. |
| The unfinished work, Portrait of Fraulein Lieser, fetched €30m (£26m; $32m). | The unfinished work, Portrait of Fraulein Lieser, fetched €30m (£26m; $32m). |
| It was commissioned by a family of Jewish industrialists in 1917, a year before Klimt's death. | It was commissioned by a family of Jewish industrialists in 1917, a year before Klimt's death. |
| However, there are many unanswered questions about the painting and debates about who the woman in the portrait is, as well as what happened to the painting during the Nazi era. | However, there are many unanswered questions about the painting and debates about who the woman in the portrait is, as well as what happened to the painting during the Nazi era. |
| It is believed to depict one of the daughters of either Adolf or Justus Lieser, who were brothers from a wealthy family of Jewish industrialists. | It is believed to depict one of the daughters of either Adolf or Justus Lieser, who were brothers from a wealthy family of Jewish industrialists. |
| Art historians Tobias Natter and Alfred Weidinger say the painting is of Margarethe Constance Lieser, the daughter of Adolf Lieser. | Art historians Tobias Natter and Alfred Weidinger say the painting is of Margarethe Constance Lieser, the daughter of Adolf Lieser. |
| But the im Kinsky auction house in Vienna, which auctioned the artwork, suggests the painting could also depict one of the two daughters of Justus Lieser and his wife Henriette. | But the im Kinsky auction house in Vienna, which auctioned the artwork, suggests the painting could also depict one of the two daughters of Justus Lieser and his wife Henriette. |
| Henriette, who was known as Lilly, was a patron of modern art. She was deported by the Nazis and died in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. | Henriette, who was known as Lilly, was a patron of modern art. She was deported by the Nazis and died in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. |
| Her daughters, Helene and Annie, both survived the Second World War. | Her daughters, Helene and Annie, both survived the Second World War. |
| The auction house said in a statement that the exact fate of the painting after 1925 was "unclear". | The auction house said in a statement that the exact fate of the painting after 1925 was "unclear". |
| "What we know is that it was acquired by a legal predecessor of the consignor in the 1960s and went to the current owner through three successive inheritances." | |
| The identity of the current Austrian owners has not been made public. | The identity of the current Austrian owners has not been made public. |
| The painting was sold on behalf of these owners and the legal successors of Adolf and Henriette Lieser, based on the Washington Principles - an international agreement to return Nazi-looted art to the descendants of the people the pieces were taken from. | The painting was sold on behalf of these owners and the legal successors of Adolf and Henriette Lieser, based on the Washington Principles - an international agreement to return Nazi-looted art to the descendants of the people the pieces were taken from. |
| Ernst Ploil from im Kinsky told the BBC: "We have an an agreement, according to the Washington principles, with the whole family". | Ernst Ploil from im Kinsky told the BBC: "We have an an agreement, according to the Washington principles, with the whole family". |
| The im Kinsky catalogue described this agreement as "a fair and just solution". | The im Kinsky catalogue described this agreement as "a fair and just solution". |
| However Erika Jakubovits, the executive director of the Presidency of the Austrian Jewish Community, said there were still "many unanswered questions". | However Erika Jakubovits, the executive director of the Presidency of the Austrian Jewish Community, said there were still "many unanswered questions". |
| She has called for the case to be researched by "an independent party". | She has called for the case to be researched by "an independent party". |
| "Art restitution is a very sensitive issue, all research must be carried out accurately and in detail, and the result must be comprehensible and transparent," Ms Jakubovits said. | "Art restitution is a very sensitive issue, all research must be carried out accurately and in detail, and the result must be comprehensible and transparent," Ms Jakubovits said. |
| "It must be ensured that there is also a state-of-the-art procedure for future private restitutions." | "It must be ensured that there is also a state-of-the-art procedure for future private restitutions." |
| Klimt's art has fetched huge sums at auction in the past. | Klimt's art has fetched huge sums at auction in the past. |
| His Lady with a Fan piece sold for £85.3m at Sotheby's in June 2023, making it the most valuable work of art ever sold at auction in Europe. | His Lady with a Fan piece sold for £85.3m at Sotheby's in June 2023, making it the most valuable work of art ever sold at auction in Europe. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Europe | Europe |
| Austria | Austria |
| Art | Art |