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.

Frieze Art Fair

This past weekend I had one of the most enjoyable Sundays I have had in a long time. My sister and I decided to check out the New York Frieze Art Fair being held on Randall's Island after I read about it here. I had no idea what to expect when we bought our tickets but I can only say that it was amazing.

The tickets included ferry transportation to the island and it really was such a perfect day that I would have been entirely satisfied with just ferry riding. The views allowed me see New York from a different angle and I am thankful for it. Often over the past few months I have forgotten to appreciate the beauty of the city that surrounds me.



Entering. Hi!



I saw works by artists I have known and loved, including Elizabeth Peyton and Alex Katz, and was completely blown away by artists new to me. The fair allowed us to see the works of more than 150 of the world's most forward-thinking galleries in one location. Priceless.  

One favorite:




Günther Förg, Untitled, 2003, Acrylic on canvas.



You can now find this hanging in the living room of my dreams.