$100m Klimt Art For Christies

Four of five oil paintings by Gustav Klimt that were the focus of a restitution battle between the Austrian government and the art works Jewish heirs will be heading to Christie's art sale this fall. Christie's has not determined whether the art - three landscapes and a portrait worth an estimated $100 million - will be auctioned or sold privately, The likelihood is that they will be auctioned. Cosmetics mogul Ronald S. Lauder purchased the gold-flecked portrait of Bloch-Bauer for a reported $135 million, topping the previous listed world art record of $104.2 million for a Picasso. Lauder, the co-founder of the Neue Galerie, said he would consider purchasing one or more of the available paintings "if the price is right." For the full story - click the title Irish Art