Gustav Klimt:
Portrait of Paula Zuckerkandl (1911-1912, lost) – Bildnis Paula Zuckerkandl
Oil on canvas.
190 x 120 cm
Whereabouts unknown
(Natter no. 197)

Victor Zuckerkandl (1851–1927) was a wealthy steel magnate and founder of the Sanatorium Purkersdorf, a landmark of Viennese modernism designed by Josef Hoffmann. The sanatorium became a cultural hub, treating notable figures like composers Schönberg and Mahler, and Klimt during the final month of his life.

Victor was married to Paula Zuckerkandl (1864–1927), a prominent salon hostess and intellectual. The couple were close to other influential patrons of Klimt, including the Bloch-Bauers and Lederers. As passionate collectors, the Zuckerkandls acquired several of Klimt’s major works, such as Rose Bushes under Trees (1905), Poppy Field (1907), and Pallas Athena (1896).

In 1912, Victor commissioned Klimt to paint Paula’s portrait, completed between 1911 and 1912. The Zuckerkandls moved to Berlin in 1916, taking most of their collection with them. Victor died in 1927, followed weeks later by Paula, who suffered a stroke.

The Portrait of Paula Zuckerkandl disappeared during World War II—some say it was destroyed in a 1942 air raid, others list it as lost. Its fate remains unknown. A few preparatory drawings and a black-and-white photo survive, reproduced from a 1931 collotype portfolio by Max Eisler, which documented Klimt’s work before many pieces vanished.