The Lady in Gold

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Gustav Klimt, 1907

I first fell in love with artist Gustav Klimt's work while visiting Vienna when I was studying abroad. Last night, I was lucky enough to attend a lecture by author Anne-Marie O'Connor at the Neue Galerie, a  New York museum devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art, on Gustav Klimnt's famous painting of Viennese society figure Adele Bloch-Bauer, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. I was blown away listening to Ms. O'Connor present details from her book, The Lady in Gold,  about the fascinating history of the painting while gazing at this beautiful piece that I love so much.
 

Commissioned in 1907 by Adele's husband,  Klimt spent three years completing the painting using real gold leaf and motifs inspired by Byzantine tile. The painting hung in the Bloch-Bauer home until 1945, when the assets of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, including this Klimt painting, were confiscated after the Nazi invasion of Austria. What I found most interesting and ironic to learn from Ms. O'Connor's lecture was that the painting, depicting Jewish Bloch-Bauer, was presented in numerous Nazi art shows during this time.

The painting hung in the Austrian Gallery for over 60 years until American heirs of the Bloch-Bauer estate stepped forward to formally claim the painting, suing the Austrian government, seeking restitution of this and 4 other Klimt paintings. After many years of litigation, the Austrian government returned the paintings to the Bloch-Bauer heirs in 2006. The five Klimt works were then sold through auction house Christies to cosmetics-heir and founder of the Neue Galerie, Ronald Lauder. Lauder paid a staggering $135 million for Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, referring to it as "the Mona Lisa" of his Neue Galerie. The work now remains part of their permanent collection and is on display year round.

If you ever have the time while in New York to stop by this beautiful museum, I highly recommend it. The Upper East Side townhouse housing the museum is alone worth the visit. Also on display are many other works by Klimt and another favorite artist of mine, Egon Schiele.