Debate Rages over Whether Rediscovered Klimt Painting Was ‘Smuggled’ out of Hungary

According to the Ministry of Construction and Transport, permission was not granted for the export of the painting, which is worth around 15 million euros, probably because its true value was not recognized.

HVG and the Austrian daily Der Standard have managed to discover that Klimt's painting The African Prince, offered for 15 million euros by the Wienerroither & Kohlbacher Gallery in Vienna, was smuggled out of Hungary, and the Hungarian authorities were deceived. The question is, is there any chance of getting it back?

Debate Rages over Whether Rediscovered Klimt Painting Was ‘Smuggled’ out of Hungary

The rediscovery of a Gustav Klimt painting of a West African prince generated headlines far and wide when it appeared at the TEFAF Maastricht art fair this past March, with lengthy stories appearing in mainstream outlets such as the Associated Press and the New York Times. But this week, debate raged in two European publications over whether the painting had illegally come into the possession of a Vienna gallery. On Saturday, the Hungarian pub…