"Hidden for Decades: The Stunning Gustav Klimt Painting of an African Prince Set to Fetch $16 Million"

Public DomainGustav Klimt’s most famous piece, The Kiss.

The same year Klimt joined the Vienna Secession, he completed the portrait of the African prince. The painting features floral motifs and other designs that would become commonplace in his work from that point on.

“The composition and painterly execution point to Klimt’s turn towards decorative elements, which were to characterize his later work, and are directly linked to his pioneering portraits of the following years,” Weidinger stated in press materials, according to Artnet.

The portrait of the Osu prince is expected to fetch millions at TEFAF Maastricht, a fine art fair held in the Netherlands.

Another one of Klimt’s famous pieces, the Portrait of Miss Lieser (1917), sold for $32 million at auction last year. In 2023, his Lady With a Fan (1917–18) sold for a whopping $108 million. This time, Klimt’s portrait of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona is expected to sell for $16 million.

“Klimt gives him such a dignity and warmth,” Wienerroither says. “It is touching, because you feel this is a person you know.”

The allure of Klimt’s work not only stems from his eye-catching illustrations, but also from their troubled history after his death in 1918. Many of his works were seized by Nazis during World War II, and some of his masterpieces were destroyed forever during the conflict.

The fact that Klimt’s historic portrait of an African prince survived for so long — and that it’s the only Klimt painting on the market today — makes it especially desirable among art collectors worldwide.