A portrait by Gustav klimt has sold for $236.4 million at auction, becoming the second most expensive artwork ever sold publicly, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday. The painting, “Dame mit Fächer” (Lady with a Fan), depicts a woman in a shimmering gold dress and was completed in 1917-18.
the sale underscores the enduring appeal of Klimt‘s work and signals continued strength in the market for ultra-high-end art. It follows the recent auction of a collection belonging to David rockefeller’s widow, and occurred during a wider modern art sale that included a solid gold, fully functional toilet by Maurizio Cattelan, which sold for $12.1 million with fees.
Klimt, an Austrian Symbolist painter, is celebrated for his opulent and decorative style. “Dame mit Fächer” is considered one of his final portraits and a key example of his distinctive aesthetic.The painting had been part of the collection of Heidi Horten, the widow of Austrian businessman Helmut Horten.
The auction also featured works by other prominent modern artists. A 101kg, 18-karat-gold toilet titled “America” by Cattelan, known for previously selling a banana taped to a wall for $5.2m, received a single bid meeting its $10m asking price. Cattelan created two such toilets in 2016; the other was displayed at the guggenheim Museum and later stolen from Blenheim Palace in England, and is believed to have been melted down.
Cattelan has stated his gold toilets satirize superwealth, noting, “Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise.”
