Scandal surrounding Klimt's masterpiece. The painting, worth 15 million euros, was previously... stolen?

A rare portrait by Gustav Klimt, valued at €15 million, has been presented at TEFAF Maastricht. However, its spectacular return to the market is fraught with controversy and legal ambiguity – according to reports, the work may have left Hungary in violation of national cultural heritage laws.

A rare portrait of an African prince by Gustav Klimt, " Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona " from 1897, was recently presented publicly for the first time at the TEFAF fair in Maastricht.

The painting, depicting a prince from the Osu family from what is now Ghana , was considered lost for decades. It only saw the light of day again in 2023, when it was brought to a Viennese gallery by a pair of collectors . For almost a hundred years, its fate remained unknown.... According to media reports, there is a suspicion that the painting may have been taken out of Hungary in violation of cultural heritage protection regulations.

Portrait by Gustav Klimt, Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona, 1897, Wienerroither & Kohlbacher gallery / Wienerroither & Kohlbacher, Facebook

According to the Hungarian daily HVG, the painting was supposed to have been in Hungary for about half a century. This is indicated by the fact that it was examined in a painting laboratory in Budapest and offered for sale to a local gallery. However, it is not known exactly how the work ended up there or what path it took over the decades. It is not surprising that Hungary has taken steps to recover this valuable painting. The problem arose when it was determined that its export may have been wrongly approved by the authorities.

Austrian newspaper Der Standard reports that the Hungarian Ministry of Construction and Transport may have wrongly classified the painting as a work of "little value" , which paved the way for approval for its export.

Meanwhile, the painting bore the stamp of the Gustav Klimt estate , which – although difficult to see – was confirmed by infrared specialists. What's more, the official document cited by the Austrian gallery Wienerroither and Kohlbacher includes the note: "no export permit required".

Contrary to this, HVG claims that the agency denies issuing such a permit. This contradiction raises questions not only about procedural errors but also about possible circumvention of the rules under international law.

The painting carries not only aesthetic value but also a powerful historical charge. It was last publicly exhibited in 1928 at the Vienna Secession . At the time, it was owned by Ernestine Klein, a Jewish art collector who, together with her husband, had to flee Austria after the Nazis came to power. The couple hid in Monaco for years, and the fate of the painting remained unknown until its recent restitution to their heirs.

The fact that the work was the subject of restitution means that it falls under the Washington Principles , an international agreement supporting the return of looted art. Hungary also signed the document, potentially allowing the painting to be exported, regardless of the standard export procedure. But that did not quell the controversy.