A painting filled with controversy

A painting by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, that was thought to be lost, sold for €30m at the ‘im Kinsky’ auction house in Vienna on Wednesday 24 April.

The sale of unfinished portrait of ‘Fräulein Lieser’ painted in 1917, was surrounded with controversy as it is unclear which female member of the Lieser family the painting depicts.

The painting 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 was claimed that Margarethe Constance Lieser, Adolf Lieser’s daughter was the subject.

However, it has been suggested that the painting could also be of one of the two daughters of Justus Lieser and his wife, Henriette, a patron of modern art and an economist who died in 1962.

The identity of the sitter is crucial: This would help to decide which branch of the Lieser family can rightfully claim ownership of the picture. It is an interesting situation where even art historians have struggled to piece together the painting’s journey between 1925 and 1961, especially during the Nazi era.

The auction house said: “What is known 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 last Austrian owners was not released. The painting has been sold and the question of who receives the money is still being disputed.