"Lady with a Fan" by Gustav Klimt sold for 86 million euros

The "Lady with a Fan" painting by Gustav Klimt It was auctioned by Sotheby's in London for more than 86 million euros.

A record for the value achieved by a work of art in Europe. The painting “Adele Bloch-Bauer II”, from 1912, designed by the same Austrian author, had been sold, in 2006, for the equivalent of 81 million euros.

The painting had been auctioned 30 years ago and acquired by its current owner.

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) is a symbol of modern art, due to his art nouveau portraits with intense gold. His works, with a strong decorative, geometric component, full of details and adornments, portray themes such as sexuality, passion, anxiety and death. His best-known paintings, «The Kiss» (1907) and «Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer» (1907), are both from the period of production of the exuberant application of golden color and the representation of the body, mainly female. At the end of his career, the Austrian artist became intensely involved with the landscape, exploring patterns of light and color, thus creating intensely sensitive and harmonious representations of nature. The paintings of Gustav Klimt they are sold at record prices at auction, being on the list of the ten most expensive works ever auctioned.

Source: euronews