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Gustav Klimt’s Rare Portrait Expected to Break Records

Sotheby’s auction house has been on a roll lately with their Gustav Klimt offerings. Only weeks after bringing big numbers for an Impressionist spring lot, they are now going to be offering a rare portrait by the Austrian painter. Titled Lady with a Fan, this piece was painted later in the artist’s life and is often described as one of his greater works. It is also the last portrait painted by the artist.

The sale will be in the evening of June 27^th in London, along with other pieces of modern and contemporary art. It is estimated to go for around eighty-five million, which would set a new European record. Klimt paintings on the market are rare, which is one of the reasons they are in the top selling works in recent history. After the record shattering sale of the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer in 2006, interest in this artist among collectors has remained high. Adele Bloch-Bauer II sold that same year for close to eighty million.

The identity of the women who posed for the portrait is not known and this is one of the rare portraits he painted for himself and was not a commissioned work. It was bought by a close friend of Klimt’s shortly after his death and remained in that family until the 1950’s. It was last offered for sale nearly thirty years ago, sold at another Sotheby’s auction for almost twelve million. Ahead of the sale, Sotheby’s intends to exhibit the piece in its Bond Street gallery for Klimt fans in the area to enjoy.

If you love Gustave Klimt but are unable to bid on the original, you will find a beautiful reproduction in our Klimt gallery. We also offer many of the famous artist’s other works for sale at reasonable prices. Bring home something special for your family to enjoy!