world
Lawsuit Filed Over 2024 Auction of Klimt Painting
An heir filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday alleging a Vienna auction house altered the title of a Gustav Klimt portrait and offered it for sale without including all family members in settlement talks. The painting had been removed from the family in 1938.
nypost.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
A lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court accuses a Vienna auction house of attempting to sell a Gustav Klimt portrait without the participation of all claimed heirs. The complaint states the work was taken from a Jewish family in 1938 and reappeared in 2024 under a changed title.
The filing says the auction house removed the name “Margarethe” from the title and listed the painting with a different attribution. It further states that the current owner contacted some heirs in 2023 to discuss a settlement but excluded the plaintiff, who asserts she is the last blood descendant.
The painting had been commissioned by the family before Klimt’s death in 1918 and was shown publicly only once, in 1925. It remained unseen until the 2024 auction listing, which drew a $30 million bid that was later withdrawn. The suit claims the choice of a smaller auction house avoided stricter provenance rules used by larger international firms.
It also notes that Austrian restitution laws are described in the complaint as less stringent than those in other jurisdictions. The auction house did not respond to requests for comment. The plaintiff’s attorney stated the case concerns recognition of all heirs in any restitution process.
