Klimt found in Piacenza, the painting is authentic. One of the world's most sought-after paintings returns home

The long-awaited verdict finally came: The Portrait of a Lady by Gustav Klimt (Vienna, 1862 - 1918) that was found last Dec. 10 in the garden of the Ricci Oddi Gallery in Piacenza is authentic. The result of the appraisal that ascertained the painting’s authenticity was announced by the mayor of Piacenza, Patrizia Barbieri, and culture councillor Jonathan Papamarenghi, as part of a press conference of the State Police during which the results of the technical findings were presented.

Klimt’s painting was one of the most sought-after works in the world: it had been stolen between Feb. 19 and 21, 1997, from the Ricci Oddi Gallery in Piacenza, and since then traces of it had been lost, until last Dec. 10, when gardeners engaged in some maintenance operations in the museum’s courtyards found it inside a black sack, hidden in a niche covered by some ivy branches.

The Ricci Oddi Gallery can thus celebrate a return that has been awaited for 23 years, and Italy celebrates the discovery of one of only three Klimt paintings in the country(the others are at the Ca’ Pesaro Gallery in Venice and the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome). For Barbieri and Papamarenghi, this is “news of historic importance for the artistic and cultural community and for the city of Piacenza.” The dynamics of the theft and discovery, about which there are still several uncertainties, will remain to be clarified, but at the moment we can rejoice at the return of a work of great importance, to which an exhibition will be dedicated in the coming weeks.

Pictured: Gustav Klimt, Portrait of a Lady (1916-1918; oil on canvas, 68 x 55 cm; Piacenza, Ricci Oddi Gallery)

Klimt found in Piacenza, the painting is authentic. One of the world's most sought-after paintings returns home

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