An early painting by renowned Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, believed to have been lost since the 1930s, has been unveiled for the first time following its recent rediscovery. The artwork, a portrait of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona—a representative of the Ga people in present-day Ghana—was created in 1897. It captures the prince in profile against a backdrop of loosely painted florals.
Measuring just over two feet in height, the painting is currently on display at the TEFAF Maastricht art fair in the Netherlands, presented by the Viennese gallery Wienerroither & Kohlbacher (W&K), with a valuation of €15 million (approximately $16.3 million).
When two collectors approached W&K gallery with the painting in 2023, it was in a heavily soiled condition with an estate stamp by Klimt that was barely visible. According to the gallery’s press release, its authenticity was confirmed by art historian Alfred Weidinger, who had spent two decades searching for the lost piece.
Weidinger noted that this 1897 portrait reflects Klimt’s evolving style, incorporating decorative elements that later became defining features of his work. Klimt is best known for The Kiss—a gilded masterpiece painted about 11 years later—which continues to draw large crowds at Vienna’s Belvedere Museum.
In 2023, his Portrait of a Lady with a Fan, often referred to as his final great work, set an auction record, selling for £85.3 million ($108.4 million) in London from the collection of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen. It became not only Klimt’s most expensive auctioned piece but also the highest-priced artwork ever sold at a European auction.
Another rediscovered Klimt painting, Portrait of Fräulein Lieser, thought to be among his last works, also made headlines last year when it sold for €30 million ($32 million).