The "Lady with a Fan", a late work of the painter who died in 1918, thus dethrones the previous European record held since February 2010 by a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, "Man Who Walks I", which had sold at the time for 65 million pounds, already at Sotheby's.

Sotheby's, which organized the sale, had presented this work, one of the last paintings made by Klimt (1862-1918), as "not only the star of the summer auction season in London, but also one of the most beautiful and precious ever offered in Europe".

It indicated that it could sell for 65 million pounds, well below the price finally obtained under the hammer, after ten minutes of auction and a breathless suspense in the last moments when two potential buyers were still in the race.

Once added the costs inherent to the sale, the winner, whose identity has not been disclosed, will have to pay 85.3 million pounds (nearly 99 million euros).

"Joy of Klimt"

Gustav Klimt had begun the painting in 1917, a year before his death in 1918 at the age of 55.

We see a brunette woman, of unknown identity, dressed in a loose dress and bare shoulder, holding a fan in her hand. Behind her, we find patterns and colors often seen in the artist, such as blue and green birds, flowers on a golden yellow background.

The painting had been part of a private collection since 1994, according to information provided by Sotheby's. It had once belonged to the Viennese industrialist Erwin Bohler, then to his brother, and his widow until the 1940s.

Much later, in 1988, it also belonged to the American businessman and philanthropist Wendell Cherry.

"Exuding freedom and spontaneity, (the portrait) reflects Klimt's joy in painting it and celebrating beauty in its purest form," according to the auction house.

Last year, at an auction at Christie's in New York of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's art collection, a Klimt painting, "The Birch Forest," sold for $104.5 million at Christie's in New York.

Among other notable sales in Europe, Claude Monet's "Water Lily Pool" sold for £40.9 million at Christie's in London in June 2008, while René Magritte's "Empire of Lights" sold £59.4 million at Sotheby's in March 2022.

© 2023 AFP