“Portrait of Fräulein Lieser,” an enigmatic, long-lost 1917 painting by Gustav Klimt, sold Wednesday for 35 million euros with fees, or about $37 million, at the auction house im Kinsky in Vienna.
The unsigned and unfinished work was estimated to sell for between $32 million and $53 million, before the addition of fees.
The winning bid was tendered in the room by Patti Wong, the founder of the Hong Kong-based art advisory company, Patti Wong Associates.
The result was remarkable, given that there are questions surrounding this Klimt portrait.
The auction house said in its sale catalog that it had “not been able to clarify the precise provenance of the painting” since 1925, and the identity of the seller has not been revealed.
Persons:
Fräulein, Gustav Klimt, Patti Wong, Wong
Organizations:
Patti Wong Associates
Locations:
Vienna, Hong Kong, Austria