Gustav Klimt – Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)

Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) is one of Klimt’s last works, painted in 1916–1917: a young woman with red cheeks looks straight at us over her shoulder against a green background. It was stolen for 23 years and found in 2019 inside a wall of its own gallery, and underneath it lies another, lost Klimt. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in seven sizes or to your own measurement.

Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) – Gustav Klimt

What is shown?

A young woman is shown head and shoulders, turned three-quarters away, with her head turned back over her shoulder so that she looks straight at us. She has dark hair, red cheeks and red lips, and a light, patterned shawl around her shoulders. The background is a calm green with no ornament, so all the attention stays on the face.

This is not the Klimt of the Golden Period. In the last years of his life he painted with a looser, freer brush and stronger colour, and you can see it here: the face is soft, while the shawl and the background are painted quickly, almost as a sketch. That fresh, direct gaze is the reason people like to hang this painting at home.

How was the painting stolen, and how was it found?

The painting has belonged to the Ricci Oddi gallery in Piacenza since 1925, when the collector Giuseppe Ricci Oddi bought it. The theft was made public on 22 February 1997, shortly before a special exhibition, while building work was under way. The frame turned up on the roof; the painting did not.

It stayed missing for 23 years. In December 2019 gardeners clearing ivy from the wall behind the gallery found a hatch in it, and behind the hatch a black bin bag with the painting inside. Experts confirmed in mid-January 2020 that it was the original, and since 28 November 2020 it has been on view in the gallery again.

What does the painting mean?

Nobody knows who the woman is. So the painting is read not as a portrait of a particular person but as Klimt’s view of a young woman: the look over the shoulder is reserved and self-assured at once, the red cheeks bring the face to life, and the plain green ground pushes it forward.

Today it means something more. The story of the theft and the return has made it one of the best-known works in Italy, a painting people talk about well beyond the art world. That is one more reason to choose it: on the wall there is not only a beautiful face but also a story you will enjoy telling your guests.

What is hidden under the painting?

In 1996, before the theft, the painting was X-rayed at the request of a school-leaving student, Claudia Maga. Beneath the surface an earlier version appeared: the same girl with a scarf and a hat. It is a lost Klimt known as Backfisch (girl), dated to 1912 by Franz Servaes. Klimt later painted over it and turned it into what we see today.

So there are two Klimt works on one canvas, which is a real rarity among his paintings. More data on the work is collected in its Wikidata record.

Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) or Portrait of a Lady – which one are you looking for?

Our gallery has two Klimt paintings with nearly the same name. This one, Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi), is a late work of 1916–1917 with a green ground and a look over the shoulder. The other, Portrait of a Lady, is a different, earlier portrait. If you were looking for the painting stolen in Piacenza, you are in the right place.

Klimt’s late portraits of women are also in our gallery as Lady with a Fan, Lady with a Feather Hat and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II, and any of them hangs well beside this one as a pair.

How is our hand-painted version made?

The painter first draws in the head, the shoulders and the direction of the gaze. The face is then built up in several thin layers to give it skin, the flush of the cheeks and the light in the eyes, and only after that come the dark hair, the shawl and the green ground. In the shawl and the background the painter follows Klimt’s quick, loose stroke, because that is part of the painting’s character.

Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are ever quite the same. A printed oil painting reproduction cannot show the relief of the brushstrokes and the depth of colour you see when you step close to the canvas.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 90 x 100 cm for most walls, 110 x 130 cm above a sofa or a bed, and 70 x 80 cm for a smaller wall. There are seven sizes: 70 x 80, 80 x 90, 90 x 100, 100 x 110, 110 x 130, 130 x 150 and 150 x 170 cm.

All of them are slightly upright, like the original, so the face keeps its proportions. Because the subject is a head and shoulders, the larger sizes make the face bigger than life, which looks very striking on a wall. With its green ground it suits a bedroom, a dining room or a hallway. A painting for the living room should take up about two thirds of the width of the furniture below it.

Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 cm above the floor, and 20 to 30 cm above a chest of drawers or a sofa.

Custom size, stretcher and frame

The original measures 60 x 55 cm. If you want exactly that proportion, or a size that is not in the list, we paint it to measure. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote a price and a lead time. Every painting we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher and ready to hang.

For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. Dark wood or a slim gold frame suits the green ground.

Delivery and guarantee

Every painting is made to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve, and our returns policy applies to every order.

Every other Klimt work we paint is in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and there is more about the painter in our ten facts about Klimt. If the painting is a gift and you are unsure of the size, there is a wall art voucher: the recipient chooses the size and the subject.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)?

At the Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi in Piacenza, Italy, where it has been since 1925, when the collector Giuseppe Ricci Oddi bought it. After the theft and its return it has been on view again since 28 November 2020. It is shown as one of the highlights of the collection, so Piacenza is worth the trip for any Klimt lover.

When was Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) stolen?

The theft was made public on 22 February 1997, shortly before a special exhibition, while building work was going on at the gallery. The frame was later found on the roof, but not the painting. It stayed missing for 23 years and was one of the most wanted stolen paintings in Italy. Who took it, and how, is still not publicly known.

Where was Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) found?

It was found in December 2019 on the gallery’s own grounds. Gardeners clearing ivy from the wall behind the building discovered a hatch, and behind it a black bin bag holding the painting. In mid-January 2020 experts confirmed that it was Klimt’s original. The full story is on Wikipedia.

Who is the woman in Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)?

Nobody knows; the sitter’s name has not come down to us. The painting shows a young woman with dark hair, red cheeks and a light shawl, looking at the viewer over her shoulder. Beneath it lies an earlier version of the same girl in a hat, but her name has not survived either, so she cannot be linked to anyone in Klimt’s circle.

What is hidden under Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)?

Under Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) lies a lost Klimt known as Backfisch, a girl with a scarf and a hat, dated to 1912 by Franz Servaes. It was discovered in 1996 by an X-ray suggested by a school-leaving student, Claudia Maga. Klimt painted over the older work, so the canvas now carries two of his paintings.

How much is Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) worth?

Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) is not for sale, as it belongs to the public collection of the gallery in Piacenza, so it has no market price. What you can order from us is a canvas painting made by hand, painted for you in oil. Every stroke is put on with a brush, so you see real paint, not print, when you look closely.

How is Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) different from your Portrait of a Lady?

They are two different Klimt paintings. Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) is a late work of 1916–1917 with a green ground and a look over the shoulder, the one stolen in Piacenza. Our Portrait of a Lady is a different, earlier portrait. If you want the painting with the theft story and the hidden work underneath, this is the page.

In which sizes can I order Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)?

There are seven sizes, from 70 x 80 to 150 x 170 cm, all slightly upright like the original. For most walls we recommend 90 x 100 cm, and 110 x 130 cm above a sofa or a bed. If you want the exact proportion of the original or another size, we paint it to measure and quote the price and lead time in advance.

Which room suits Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)?

Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi), with its calm green ground and warm face, works well in a bedroom, a dining room, a study or a hallway. Because the woman looks straight at you, the painting is strongest where you see it as soon as you enter the room. The green goes well with natural wood, plants and warm, neutral walls.

• Subject: a young woman with red cheeks looking at us over her shoulder, against a green ground.
• Original: 1916–1917, 60 x 55 cm, Galleria Ricci Oddi, Piacenza; stolen 1997, found 2019.
• Ours: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in seven sizes or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.