엘리자베트 레데러의 초상

Klimt began this portrait of Elisabeth Lederer in 1914, one of a Viennese Jewish family who were among his greatest patrons. He worked at it for years and kept saying it was not finished, until in 1916 her mother simply took it from his studio. The real drama came after his death. When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938 they seized the Lederer collection, and much of it, including 15 Klimt paintings, burned in 1945 when retreating troops set fire to the castle where the works were stored. This portrait survived by a grim technicality. Portraits of Jewish sitters were judged not worth confiscating, so it was left behind at the auction house instead of being sent to the castle. It was returned to Elisabeth's brother in 1948. In 2025 it sold for about 236 million dollars.