From $14.7M to $80M: Rare Klimt Landscape Headlines Christie’s Evening Sale
Nearly three decades after setting an auction record for Gustav Klimt, a rare masterwork is returning to the market. Painted during the artist’s summer visits to Lake Attersee between 1915 and 1916, Litzlbergkeller captures Klimt at his most contemplative.
Gustav Klimt’s ‘Litzlbergkeller’ set the artist’s auction record when it last appeared on the market in 1997 for the then-record sum of $14.7 million. After nearly three decades in private hands, this painting headlines Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale.
Painted in 1915–16 and inspired by the artist's summer travels, this poetic landscape at Lake Attersee captures Klimt at his most contemplative. Composed of a brilliant tapestry of jewel-toned brushwork, the tranquil view of the lakeshore gives way to an increasingly abstract reflection. The result is a striking meditation on nature, memory and introspection that is, at once, modern in execution.
The work goes under the hammer at Christie’s 20th-century evening sale on November 17 with a $60 million to $80 million estimate.
Main Image: Gustav Klimt, Litzlbergkeller (1915–1916). Christie's