A recovered Gustav Klimt painting made history this past Thursday night at Sotheby’s when it became the most expensive piece of modern art to ever be sold at auction.

The Vienna-born artist came to prominence during the early 20th century and is best known for his gold-leaf-laden works “The Kiss,” “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” and “Judith and the Head of Holofernes,” among others.

The lucky recipient of Klimt’s rare painting, titled “Portrait of Elizabeth Lederer” (“ Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer “), was an anonymous buyer who managed to snag the painting over the phone, with the assistance of Sotheby’s Vice Chairman and Head of Impressionist and Modern Art Julian Dawes.

“Portrait of Elizabeth Lederer” by Gustav Klimt, c. 1916 AP

The painting, portraying the artist’s young daughter, w

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