Austrian prosecutors have ordered the seizure of a recently rediscovered Gustav Klimt painting depicting a Ghanaian prince, following a formal request from Hungarian authorities. The portrait of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona has become the center of an international legal dispute over its export from Hungary to Austria, with questions raised about whether the work's true identity was properly disclosed during the transfer process.
The painting, created in 1897, shows the dark-skinned Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona and had been missing from public view for decades before resurfacing at the Viennese gallery Wienerroither & Kohlbacher. The gallery received the work several years ago from a collector couple who presented it in poor, dirty condition with the estate stamp barely recognizable. While an export permit exists for the painting's transfer from Hungary to Austria, Hungarian authorities claim that the documentation fails to identify the work as a Klimt painting.
The portrait has a complex history that spans nearly a century and involves Nazi persecution and wartime displacement. After its creation, the painting likely remained in Klimt's possession and was auctioned from his estate in Vienna in 1923. By 1928, it was documented as belonging to Ernestine Klein when it was loaned for the Klimt memorial exhibition at the Vienna Secession. However, when Klein and her husband were forced to flee Vienna for Monaco due to their Jewish heritage, the painting was reportedly moved from their villa in Hietzing to Hungary in the late 1930s to prevent it from falling into Nazi hands.
Once in Hungary, the artwork was sold and eventually offered to the Viennese gallery through intermediaries. Hungarian authorities suspect that the seller deliberately concealed the painting's attribution to Klimt during the export process. They claim that a Hungarian laboratory report from 2022 had already identified the work. However, gallery owner Lui Wienerroither defended the export process, stating that the owner rightfully obtained the export permit because the painting was not yet verified as a Klimt work at the time of export.
Gallery co-owner Ebi Kohlbacher explained that it was clear no one in Hungary could properly verify a Klimt painting. The gallery advised the seller to bring the painting to Austria with proper export authorization so it could be examined by qualified experts. This expertise was necessary to authenticate the work and determine its true value and provenance.
Despite the ongoing legal complications, progress has been made regarding ownership claims. The current owner and the heirs of former owner Ernestine Klein have reportedly reached an agreement about the painting's ownership rights. However, the artwork has not yet been sold, even though it was offered at the TEFAF art fair in Maastricht, Netherlands, earlier this year with a price tag in the tens of millions of dollars. The seizure order now puts any potential sale on hold while the legal dispute between Austria and Hungary is resolved.
