Inquiry launched into loss of Klimt painting

Construction and Transport Minister János Lázár has ordered an investigation into how someone at his ministry approved the export of a Gustav Klimt painting, which later appeared in a Vienna gallery.

The work, Portrait of an African Prince, is currently offered for €15 million.

The painting, long part of a Hungarian private collection, received a final export permit after being submitted as the work of an “unknown painter.”

Officials approved the request, citing the absence of the painting from the national register of protected artworks, despite the visible Klimt estate stamp.

Lázár told HVG that authorities may have been misled and that both the officials and the applicant should be investigated.

He claimed that the seller withheld information, even though the painting had previously been identified as a Klimt in a laboratory and offered to Budapest galleries as such.

All documentation will be made public, and export rules, currently based on photographs, will be revised.

The minister does not consider it likely that the state will recover the painting, as he believes that it was never state property, but rather belonged to the Jewish Klein family, who had fled to Hungary.

However, HVG writes that the current owner probably reached a settlement with the heirs, who have not pursued claims.

Lázár said the state would consider acquiring the painting for public display through a fair agreement if needed.

Earlier: 

The 1897 painting, depicting a Ghanaian royal, had been in Hungary for decades and was offered at TEFAF Maastricht.

Some reports suggest Hungarian officials may have improperly released the painting for export, possibly because they didn't recognize its value or its connection to Klimt's estate. 

The painting, which had been in Hungary for decades, was reportedly examined by Hungarian officials, but they may have overlooked its significance or its association with Klimt's estate. 

This oversight has raised questions about Hungarian authorities' role in safeguarding cultural heritage and whether the painting was legally exported. 

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