It is considered the last painting Klimt painted before his death in February 1918. As Sotheby’s noted, «the beautiful, rich and alluring portrait of an unnamed woman combines all the technical skill and creative exuberance that define Klimt’s greatest works.»

After Klimt’s death, his studio in a summer house in Vienna’s 13th district became empty. Artist Egon Schiele and Klimt’s close friend, model Emilie Flege tried to save the studio, but they failed — a few years later the site was redeveloped. The painting «Lady with a Fan» then found its way into the collection of industrialist Erwin Behler, who showed it at the Vienna Kunchau exhibition in 1920. It later passed through the collection of Rudolf Leopold and was acquired by the current owner in the mid-1990s.

Painting «Lady with a Fan» on an easel in Klimt’s studio, 1918

Auction of modern art was held at the end of June. The initial cost of the work of Gustav Klimt amounted to 65 million pounds — a record for a European auction. On the canvas claimed four clients on the phone and in the hall: he went to the one who offered for him on 20 million pounds more than the preliminary assessment — 85.3 million. The results of the auction broke the previous record of paintings by Klimt, set at the end of 2022 at Christie’s auction — then with a hammer for 104.6 million dollars (82.3 million pounds) went under the hammer for 104.6 million dollars (82.3 million pounds) landscape «Birch Grove» from the collection of Microsoft founder Paul Allen.