Piacenza: Stolen Klimt painting discovered in gallery wall

After the enigmatic theft of a Gustav Klimt painting from an Italian gallery more than 22 years ago, the circumstances under which the work of art has reappeared are at least as curious: when workers sought to free the outer wall of the gallery of ivy, they discovered a small one Flap door, behind them they came across the wounded in a plastic garbage bag "Portrait of a woman" of the Austrian painter (1862-1918).

The police have now taken over the further investigation and the search for experts to verify the authenticity of the painting, said the authorities of the northern Italian city of Piacenza. "The painting is in excellent condition and it is hard to believe that it was said to have been in the wall so close to soil and vegetation for 22 years," said Jonathan Papamarengh, city's cultural affairs officer. He described the picture as the second most valuable on the list of works of art missing in Italy. In first place is a painting by Caravaggio, stolen in Sicily in 1969.

The theft of Klimt's "Portrait of a Woman" was mysterious from the start. For a long time the police could not even tell how it could disappear from the gallery. Then it was said that the perpetrators had maneuvered it with a fishing rod by a Dachlucke from the hook. There they should have solved it out of the frame. In addition, a well-made forgery of the picture was later sent to a disgraced politician and then confiscated by the police. Because of its fame, the 50 by 60 inches large painting was considered unsalable.

Chance instead of DNA evidence

Only a year before the theft had been noticed that the portrait was a double portrait: Klimt had used the canvas in 1912 for a portrait of a girl and then painted it over in 1907.

About five years ago, the authorities resumed the investigation and hoped for a half-fingerprint on the frame. At that time it was also known that the perpetrators had probably been informed of a pending renovation of the gallery. The Klimt painting is supposed to be packed for a transport, the alarm system has been switched off for months.

Well, then, if the authenticity is confirmed, chance has brought the painting back to light. Klimt is considered one of the most famous artists of Art Nouveau and one of the most expensive painters in the world. The Neue Galerie New York bought in 2006 the Klimt painting "Adele Bloch-Bauer I" for 135 million dollars.