News

Oprah Winfrey Sells Klimt Painting For $150 Million

Oprah Winfrey has sold a Gustav Klimt painting for $150 million in one of the biggest private art sales of 2016.

OPRAH SELLS KLIMT PAINTING FOR $150 MILLION

Winfrey originally bought the piece, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II,” for $87.9 million in 2006 at Christie’s auction house in New York City. Since then, it’s value has risen by nearly 71%.

This is the second Klimt piece to sell recently, after Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev sold “Water Serpents II” for $170 million in 2015. Both paintings went to Asia, which is eager to collect more western art masterpieces with its booming wealth. “Klimt is on the list of some people,” said Grace Rong Li, an advisor to Asian art collectors.

“Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II” had been hanging at the MoMa last year before Winfrey was approached about selling. Before the sale, the cultural giant temporarily lent the piece to the Neue Galerie in New York for an exhibition.

Interestingly, the canvas was part of a collection looted by the Nazis but restituted by the Austrian government to Bloch-Bauer’s estate in 2006. “Adele Bloch-Bauer is the only subject Klimt is known to have portrayed twice — first in the iconic 1907 ‘golden’ portrait, then in 1912 in a very different, exuberantly colored work,” explained Scott Gutterman, deputy director of Neue Galerie. “Seeing the two works side by side allows the viewer to see how Klimt’s work changed during this key period in his artistic development.”

The version sold by Winfrey will be hung next to its sister painting at the Neue Galerie.

Hillary Luehring-Jones

Recent Posts

‘The View’ Host Sunny Hostin’s Husband, Emmanuel Hostin, Fights Insurance Fraud Lawsuit Alone After His Co-Defendants Settle Cases

Emmanuel Hostin, the husband of The View co-host Sunny Hostin, is currently fighting his own…

3 hours ago

VIDEO: 3 Israeli Hostages, Or Levy, Ohad Ben-Ami & Eliyahu Sharabi, Reunited With Families After Release From Gaza

https://youtu.be/SpOMyr-gXPA Three Israeli hostages were reunited with their families after they were released by Hamas…

4 hours ago

Lainey Wilson Prepares For ‘Whirlwind’ Tour – Setlist & Ticket Info

Released in August, Whirlwind marked Wilson’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard 200.

16 hours ago

Melissa Gilbert Stars In Play ‘Still’ As The Older Character She Has Needed To Be

Still marks a particularly meaningful project for her as she is specifically playing a woman…

17 hours ago

Adam Lippes Silk-Wool Blazer Is Essential For The Chic Professional Woman

Blazers are a must-have for every chic woman's closet. Adam Lippes' black Two-Button Blazer resembles…

17 hours ago

Woman Arrested In Connection With Telemundo Journalist Adan Manzano’s Drugging Death While Covering The Super Bowl

Colbert, a “career criminal” who has a history of drugging men, and records show that…

17 hours ago