Sold For Almost IDR 4 Trillion, This Painting Becomes The Most Expensive In The World

JAKARTA - Austrian painter Gustav Klimt's painting sold at an astonishing price of US$236.4 million or Rp3.9 trillion. This sale makes it the second most expensive work of art ever sold in auctions, as well as the most expensive modern art work ever auctioned.

Reporting from The Guardian's page, the six-leg painting entitled Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer was made between 1914 and 1916. This work depicts Elisabeth Lederer, a young heir who is the daughter of a Klimt family soap opera wearing a typical Chinese robe.

The auction, which was held late Tuesday at the Sotheby's auction house, New York, was fierce. Six bidders battled for almost 20 minutes. However, the identity of the winner of the auction was not disclosed.

This painting has a long history. The work was looted by the Nazis and almost destroyed in a fire during World War II. In 1948, paintings were returned to Erich Lederer, Elisabeth's brother, who is also often the subject of the work of Egon Schiele, Klimt's best friend.

Erich kept it for most of his life, before finally selling it in 1983, two years before he died.

In 1985, this painting was purchased by Leonard A. Lauder, the heir of cosmetic company Est totaling Lauder. He placed it at his home on Fifth Avenue, New York. According to art historian Emily Braun, who has been Lauder's art advisor for nearly 40 years, the painting is the pride of her collection.

"Every time he has lunch at home, he always sits at a small table right next to the painting," Braun told CNN.

This painting is one of only two full-length portraits of Klimt's work still in the hands of private collectors.

Prior to auction, this work was estimated to sell for more than 150 million US dollars or Rp. 2.5 trillion. But the price shot up a lot, even covering more than 40% of the total value of Lauder's collection totaling US$575.5 million or Rp9.6 trillion. This new record beat the previous record for the painting Klimt, namely Lady with a Fan which sold US$ 108 million or Rp1.8 trillion in 2023.

In history, other Klimt works have also scored fantastic prices. In 2006, Leonard's Ronald Lauder bought a Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (Woman in Gold) for US$135 million through private sales.

Meanwhile, the most expensive works of art ever auctioned were held by Leonardo da televisi's Salvator Mundi, which sold US$450.3 million or Rp7.5 trillion in 2017.

After the auction of Lauder's collection, Sotheby's continued selling other modern works of art, including a pure gold toilet weighing 101 kg by provocative Italian artist Maurizio Cattana. This work entitled 'America' functions as a real toilet, but is made of 18 carat gold.

Different from the painting Klimt, this gold toilet only received one offer that matched the basic price of 10 million US dollars or Rp167 billion (12.1 million US dollars or Rp202 billion after the cost).

Cattana made two gold toilets in 2016. One of them was lent to the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and was even offered to US President Donald Trump when he asked for a loan for Van Gogh's painting. Another toilet was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England. Two people have been convicted, but the toilet was never found and is thought to have been merged.

Cattana once said that his work was a satire of excessive wealth.

"Whatever you eat, a luxurious food or cheap hot dog, the end is the same, just go to the toilet," he said.