Gustav Klimt's long-lost painting "Portrait of a Lady" is set to travel to Seoul for its first international exhibition outside Italy since its remarkable recovery in 2019. The Austrian symbolist master's work, which disappeared for 23 years, will be the centerpiece of a major exhibition opening this December at My Art Museum in Gangnam, southern Seoul.
The painting's rediscovery reads like a mystery novel. In December 2019, the missing artwork was found hidden in a black garbage bag tucked behind a metal panel on the exterior wall of the Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi's garden in northern Italy. The unexpected discovery quickly captured global attention, with art enthusiasts and media outlets celebrating the find as an extraordinary "Christmas present" to the art world. However, the identity of whoever took the painting and its exact whereabouts during the missing decades remain completely unknown.
"Portrait of a Lady" holds special significance as Klimt's only known double portrait, created in 1917, just one year before the artist's death. What makes this work particularly intriguing is that Klimt painted it directly over another portrait of a young woman that he had created around 1910. The original underlying painting, believed to depict a woman with whom Klimt had a romantic affair, is now lost forever and exists only through photographic reproductions that were taken before it was painted over.
The upcoming exhibition, titled "The Miracle of Klimt and Other Treasures From Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi," opens on December 19 and represents a collaborative effort between My Art Museum and the Italian institution. The Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi, established in 1931, houses a collection originally built by Giuseppe Ricci Oddi, who was both a respected jurist and passionate patron of the arts. According to museum records, Ricci Oddi purchased "Portrait of a Lady" in 1925 and displayed it prominently in the billiards room of his palazzo.
Klimt was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement, an influential artistic movement that revolutionized art and architecture by incorporating elaborate ornamentation with geometric forms. This approach emphasized the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, or a unified total work of art that brought together multiple artistic disciplines.
The Seoul exhibition will showcase approximately 70 works selected from the Italian museum's extensive collection of 700 paintings and sculptures. Along with the famous "Portrait of a Lady," visitors will have the opportunity to view other significant pieces from the museum's holdings. The exhibition is scheduled to run for an extended period through March 22, 2026, giving art lovers ample time to experience this rare international presentation of Italian modern art treasures.
