Likely Heir Emerges to Claim Klimt Portrait
'Bildnis Fraeulein Lieser' (Portrait of Miss Lieser) by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862 - 1918) during a press conference of the Kinsky Art Auction House in Vienna, Austria on January 25, 2024. Roland Schlager/APA/AFP via Getty Images
Big news buzzing in the art world! A Munich-based architect, not linked by blood to the Lieser family, has just stirred up the scene by claiming ownership of a Gustav Klimt portrait that fetched a cool $32 million at a high-profile auction in Vienna, reports Der Standard. Turns out, this portrait, missing for a century, made a dramatic comeback at the im Kinksy auction house.
Gustav Klimt and Bildnis Fraeulein Lieser
Apple Pencil (2nd Gen)
Perfect Precision
Perfect for Notes
Attach Charge
The masterpiece, titled Portrait of Fräulein Lieser (1917), captured the interest of an anonymous art dealer from Hong Kong who snagged it for a record price in Austria—though it was just the lower estimate. Klimt's works usually set the room on fire at auctions, but this time, the fear of ownership disputes, hinted at by gaps in the painting’s provenance, might have spooked some potential bidders.
Here’s where it gets tricky: the restitution deal brokered by the auction house only covered the seller and the descendants of Adolf Lieser and his sister-in-law, Lilly Lieser. Typically, the heirs agree that selling the artwork through an auction represents the collective will of all potential heirs. The legal eagles for both sides are now reviewing the case, according to what they told Der Standard.
According to the folks at im Kinsky, this piece is one of Klimt's last and popped up from an Austrian private collection. “A painting of this rarity, artistic significance, and value hasn’t hit the Central European art market in decades,” boasted the auction house in a statement on their website.
Shameless plug 🤣 My own AI art for sale$$$
Diving into the backstory, Klimt likely started the portrait in 1917, painting Margarethe Constance Lieser, an 18-year-old daughter of industrial tycoon Adolf Lieser, just a year before his death. Despite a few unfinished touches, the portrait was eventually handed over to the Lieser family. Its journey from 1925 is more or less a mystery, but the auction house notes that it came into the consignor’s hands through a legal predecessor in the 1960s and passed down through three generations.
Patti Wong, who runs the Hong Kong-based art advisory that represented the anonymous buyer, assured the South China Morning Post that the contract covers the seller and all Lieser heirs. What a whirlwind, huh? As always, I’ll keep you updated on this saga as it unfolds. If you love these art world dramas as much as I do, hit like, share your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more!
