Gustav Klimt’s last portrait is expected to fetch US$80 million (£65m) at Sotheby’s London Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction on June 27.
Lady with a Fan, was in his studio when he died at age 55 in February 1918. It depicts a dark-haired woman set against a yellow backdrop along with colorful birds and lotus flowers reflecting Asian-inspired influences.
Klimt first started on the portrait, the sitter for which is not known, when he was already considered among the most sought-after and celebrated portraitists in Europe. However, this was a rare work painted entirely in the pursuit of his own interests, the auction house said.
The Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt was born on 14 July 1862.
He was considered an artist ahead of his time and achieved his greatest success during his “golden phase”, in which his paintings often included gold leaf.
Other notable works include The Kiss, painted in 1909 and the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912) that was sold for $87.9m (£69.55m at current rates) in New York in November 2006.
He was a great influence on later artists, including Egon Schiele.
It was last auctioned by Sotheby’s New York in 1994, when it was acquired by the family of the consignor, who wasn’t identified.
More information: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/klimts-phoenix?locale=en
