What Story does the "Portrait of Adele Bloch - Bauer" by Gustav Klimt Hide?

aksinya (68)in #art • 8 years ago (edited)

When I visit exhibitions it is always interesting to look at portraits to guess what kind of person was it, was that person happy, did he or she have a tough life, whom he or she loved etc.
It is very exciting when first you visit the place where certain people lived and then go to the exhibition with the portraits of them like I did in Saint - Petersburg. First we visited the Palace of the Yusupovs where we heard many stories about their lives and then the Russian museum where we could see their portraits. But it is another story.

Today I want to tell you about the story of the "Portrait of Adele Bloch - Bauer" or "Golden Adele" made by Gustav Klimt.

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Cheating

Ferdinand Bloch - Bauer learnt that his wife Adele cheated on him. He couldn't divorce as their marriage was based on merging of two capitals, two Jewish families, Bloch and Bauers. All Vienna was gossiping about the romance of his Adele and an artist Gustav Klimt.

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Ferdinand Bloch - Bauer Image Source

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Adele Bloch - Bauer Image Source

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Gustav Klimt Image Source

Revenge

Ferdinand was thinking about revenge for a long time. And he knew that ancient Indians to separate lovers chained them to each other with wristbands until they started to hate each other. So he decided to order a portrait of his wife from Klimt. He wanted him to make an eternal portrait which would live for centuries. It would take much time to paint it and Gustav would be fed up with Adele. Klimt made about 100 sketches and in 4 years the portrait was ready. The relations between Adele and Klimt gradually subsided. Ferdinand was satisfied with the result and they hung the portrait in the sitting room.

War

First World War was coming and Klimt barely lived through it and at the age of 52 in 1918 he died from a stroke. Adele died 7 years later and left 3 paintings including Portrait of Adele Boch - Bauer to the Vienna Museum Belvedere.

The persecution of Jews started and Ferdinand escaped to Switzerland leaving all the property to his brother.

Niece Maria

Adele couldn't have kids and all her unspent love was devoted to the kids of her sister who was married the brother of Ferdinand. She especially loved her niece Maria and even let her put on a necklace she wore while posing for Klimt for Maria's first ball. Maria and Alouis Kunst, her first boy - friend often visited Adele. But Maria got married to another man, Frederick Altman. Later he was sent to the camp Dachau where all Jews became just black smoke after they passed all their property to Germans.

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Dachau camp Image Source

Maria loved her husband and signed all the property to Germans to save him.
Once, her first boy - friend, came to pick up Golden Adele. He was collaborating with fascists explaining it that in that way he could do more for Austria.

Hitler's role

It is amazing but Hitler was kind to Gustav Klimt. Earlier Hitler was earning money with selling his paintings. And when he was going to enter the Academy of Art he wanted to take some classes from Klimt. But Klimt said that Adolf was talented enough and he didn't need classes. Hitler failed to enter the Academy, they accepted a Jewish guy and it could be another reason why Hitler hated Jews. But his hatred didn't touch Gustav Klimt and he ordered to save Klimt's paintings. Hitler didn't accept the portrait of Adele to his collection due to too Jewish appearance of the woman and the painting disappeared.

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Hitler's painting Image Source

It turned out that Alois Kunst saved it and it was found in the museum Belvedere, where Kunst was a director.

Inheritance

Maria and her husband were lucky and they could escape first to England then to the USA. Everything was quiet until one journalist dug out that there had been the last will of Ferdinand Bloch - Bauer who signed all the property to the kids of his brother. By that time all kids except Maria died. Maria was already 80 years old. And the journalist sold that information to her. After several courts the decision about returning 5 paintings including the portrait of Adele to Maria Altman was made.

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Maria Altman Image Source

Maria didn't insist on getting the paintings to America but asked 155 million dollars for them that was unbearable to the Ministry of Austria. All Austria was collecting money for it and they did it. But due to agiotage around the paintings Maria increased the amount up to 300 million dollars. All Austria came to say farewell to Adele. That portrait was an Austrian symbol for almost 100 years.

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Later Maria Altman sold the portrait to Ronald Lauder, the owner of the perfume concern Estee Lauder for 135 million dollars. He built a house for Adele and called it "Museum of German and Austrian Art".

The journalist didn't enjoy the money he got from Maria. He died 4 months after the painting had left Austria.

Maria Altman died at the age of 94 years in 2011.

All the participants of the story died but the painting will live for ages.

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