A painting found hidden in a wall of an Italian museum has been authenticated as a Gustav Klimt work that was stolen from the same gallery nearly 23 years ago. Klimt’s “Portrait of a Lady,” acquired by the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art in 1925, was stolen in 1997, with only the painting’s frame found on the roof of the museum, The New York Times reported. Investigations into the whereabouts of the 1917 work, valued today at roughly $66 million, stalled over the next few decades. The portrait has been held in Italy’s central bank during the investigation, the New York Times reported. Klimt, who was born in Vienna in 1862, was considered a prominent member of the Vienna Secession movement.

Source: Fox News January 18, 2020 19:18 UTC