The history of the creation of the painting Golden Adele. "Golden Adele

The history of the painting, known throughout the world as “Golden Adele” or “Austrian Mona Lisa,” can be called a detective story. The reason for its creation was the husband’s revenge for an affair with his artist’s wife. Gustav Klimt, the painting remained undamaged during the Second World War, and in the post-war period "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" became the subject of contention between Austria and the United States.

Adele Bloch-Bauer
In 1904, sugar refiner Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer learned of his wife’s infidelity. All of Vienna was talking about the romance between Adele and the artist Gustav Klimt. He found in love affairs an inexhaustible source of inspiration, his many hobbies were widely known. And so that the rival would quickly become fed up and leave his mistress, Adele’s husband came up with original way: he ordered a large portrait of his wife from Klimt, in the hope that by posing and being too often near the artist, he would quickly get bored with her.

Outstanding Austrian artist Gustav Klimt
Ferdinand approached the issue of formalizing the contract with all seriousness: he knew that Klimt was a sought-after artist, and his paintings were a profitable investment. Moreover, in this way he would be able to perpetuate his surname.

G. Klimt. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907
Adele Bloch-Bauer was the owner of a fashionable salon where poets, artists and other representatives of the creative elite of Vienna gathered. This is how her niece Maria Altman remembered her: “Suffering, constantly suffering from headaches, smoking like a locomotive, terribly tender and languid. A soulful face, self-satisfied and elegant.”

G. Klimt. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II, 1912
The artist agreed to the proposal to paint a portrait of Adele. The reward amount was very decent. Klimt worked for 4 years, during which time he created about 100 sketches and the famous “Golden Adele”. If the artist and the model had any kind of relationship, then during this time they really stopped.

G. Klimt. Sketches for the portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer

In 1918, at the age of 52, Klimt died. Adele survived him by 7 years. Before her death, she asked her husband to bequeath three paintings, including her portrait, to the Belvedere Museum. Until 1918, the portrait was in the possession of the Bloch-Bauer family, and from 1918 to 1921. - in Austrian state gallery. In 1938, Austria became part of Nazi Germany. Due to the outbreak of Jewish pogroms, Ferdinand had to leave his home and all his property and flee to Switzerland.

Gustav Klimt
During the war, the collection was confiscated by Germany and transferred to the Austrian Gallery. Due to the Jewish origin of the author and sitters, these paintings did not end up in the Fuhrer’s collection, but still they were not destroyed. Allegedly, Hitler met with Klimt back in the days when he was trying to enter the Academy of Painting in Vienna, and he positively assessed his work. However, no reliable evidence of this has survived.

Gustav Klimt

G. Klimt. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907. Detail
After the war, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” ended up in the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, and would have remained there until now, but one day the will of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer was discovered, in which he bequeathed all his property to his nephews - the children of his brother. At that time, only Maria Altman, who fled during the war to the United States and received American citizenship, remained alive. The legal proceedings lasted 7 years, after which Maria’s right to own five paintings by Gustav Klimt, including “The Golden Adele,” was recognized.

Maria Altman and famous portrait her aunt Adele
Then all of Austria was alarmed. Newspapers came out with headlines: “Austria is losing its relic!”, “We will not give America our national treasure!” But it still had to be done. Maria agreed to leave the paintings in Austria if she was paid their market value - $300 million! But this amount was too large, and the paintings went to the USA, where Ronald Lauder bought them from the heiress for his gallery in New York for $135 million. The Austrians are now content with only souvenirs with images of Adele Bloch-Bauer.

Souvenirs with the image of Adele Klimt

All of Austria said goodbye to its national relic

The history of the painting, known throughout the world as “Golden Adele” or “Austrian Mona Lisa,” can be called a detective story. The reason for its creation was the husband’s revenge for an affair with his artist’s wife. Gustav Klimt, the painting remained undamaged during the Second World War, and in the post-war period "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" became the subject of contention between Austria and the United States.

Gustav Klimt. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907.

This story involves: Gustav Klimt, femme fatale Adele Bloch-Bauer, $135 million painting, niece Maria Altmann, US and Austrian government.

ABOUT THE MODEL AND ARTIST

Let's get to know Adele Bloch-Bauer better.

Adele's father, Moritz Bauer, a major banker, Chairman of the Austrian Bankers Association, had been looking for worthy grooms for his daughters for a long time, and chose the brothers Ferdinand and Gustav Bloch, who were engaged in sugar production and had several enterprises, the shares of which were constantly growing.

Adele Bauer in 1899, being 18 years old, married the much older Ferdinand Bloch. Before this, her sister Maria married Ferdinand Bloch's brother Gustav. Both families took the surname Bloch-Bauer.

Maria Altmann, niece and heiress of Adele Bloch-Bauer, described her aunt as follows: “Constantly suffering from headaches, smoking like a steam locomotive, terribly tender and languid. A spiritual face, self-satisfied and elegant.” The family of Ferdinand and Adele belonged to a select layer of the large Jewish bourgeoisie of that period.

Their salon brought together painters, writers and such famous social democrats as Karl Renner and Julius Tandler. The number of artists supported by the Bloch-Bauer family included Gustav Klimt.
Their friendship began in 1899. Adele Bloch-Bauer became a model for Gustav Klimt’s paintings four times and did not suspect that in addition to worldwide fame her name will also be involved in the scandal.

Already in 1901, Klimt painted “Judith I,” for which Adele Bloch-Bauer herself served as a model, although this fact was not advertised anywhere. Eight years later, Klimt painted Judith II. Both paintings are embodiments of Klimt's femme fatale. His Judith is not a biblical heroine, but rather a resident of Vienna, his contemporary, as evidenced by her fashionable, possibly expensive necklace.

The painting “Judith II” is often called “Salome” in catalogs and magazines. Art critics were sure that Klimt had in mind Salome, a typical femme fatale, about whom at the end of the century books and paintings by Gustave Moreau, Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, Franz von Stuck and Max Klinger were published.

Klimt’s friend Alfred Bass wrote in his diary: “When I saw Gustav’s Salome, I realized that all the women I had known until now were not real. When I saw his “Kiss”, I realized that I had never truly loved. When I saw the sketch for “Judith,” I realized the worst thing was that I had not lived at all, and if I had lived, it was a fake life.”

INTERESTING VERSION

They say that the husband knew about the connection between his wife Adele and Gustav Klimt and when signing the contract for a new picture set several conditions, including
so that the artist would draw 100 sketches. Ferdinand hoped that Adele would tire of Klimt after posing for such a long time. Whether it was true or not, he turned out to be right.

In 1903, Klimt received an order from Ferdinand Bloch for an official portrait of his wife. Over the next four years, the artist created more than 100 sketches for the painting, before in 1907 he was able to present to the public his “Golden Adele”, in which the model was 26 years old. The artist came up with the idea for the painting immediately, but it took a hundred sketches to accurately determine the position hands and head. This portrait, often called the "Austrian Mona Lisa", is considered one of Klimt's most significant paintings.

LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT GOLDEN ADELE

An elegant female figure sits in a chair. There is no free space above and below it; it occupies the entire vertical of the picture. The head image appears to be cut off at the top. Black, pulled-up hair and a disproportionately large red mouth contrast with extremely pale, almost blue-white skin.

The woman holds her hands clasped in a dynamic bend in front of her chest and looks directly at the viewer, thereby enhancing the visual impact. A shawl is thrown over the figure-hugging dress. It flows, expanding from the hands to the lower edge of the picture. Gold tones predominate here too. The neckline of the dress is decorated with a thin border of rectangles and a wide stripe with a double row of triangles.

Then a pattern of randomly arranged stylized eyes inscribed in triangles was used. The cape, with its pattern of spirals, leaf shapes, and barely defined folds, seems a little lighter than the dress.

They say that Klimt painted his portraits from nude models, and only then covered the bodies with flat ornamental clothes. Perhaps so, but what the Puritan public called “depravity” literally oozes from this canvas. But at the same time, the artist accurately depicted a young woman tired of her own respectability, of rich life, which has turned into a golden cage and wants to break free.

Only the face, shoulders and arms were depicted naturalistically. The interior, along with the flowing dress and furniture, are only indicated and, turning into ornament, become abstract, which corresponded to the color scheme and forms that Klimt used at the turn of the century.
The chair, also gold, stands out against the general background only thanks to the pattern of spirals - there are completely no shadows, halftones or contours on it. A small light green fragment of the floor adds a color accent to the overall scheme and helps give stability to the figure.
In 1912, the artist painted another portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.

THE FATE OF THE PICTURE

Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer acquired, in addition to the first “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” and the second, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II”, as well as four more landscapes: “ Birch Grove", "Cammer Castle on Lake Attersee III" "Apple Tree I", "Houses in Unterach am Attersee".

The finished “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” was immediately exhibited in the artist’s studio in Vienna in 1907 and in the same year appeared in the magazine “German Art and Decoration”, and then at the international art exhibition in Mannheim.

In 1910, the portrait was in the Klimt Hall as part of the IX International Exhibition in Venice. Until 1918, the portrait was not exhibited and was in the possession of Ferdinand and Adele Bloch-Bauer. From 1918 to 1921 - in the Austrian State Gallery.

Adele Bloch-Bauer died on January 24, 1925, leaving a will in which she asked her husband, after his death, to transfer two of her portraits and four landscapes by Gustav Klimt to the Austrian State Gallery. But he did not do this, transferring only one landscape to the Austrian gallery.

During the war, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer fled first to Czechoslovakia and then to Switzerland. Pictures with for the most part his fortunes remained in Austria. His fortune and collection of paintings were expropriated by the Nazis. In 1941, an Austrian gallery bought Klimt’s paintings “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” and “Apple Tree I”

Adolf Hitler had a positive attitude towards the work of Gustav Klimt. They met Klimt when Hitler was trying to enter the Academy of Painting in Vienna. At that time, Klimt was already an honorary professor at this academy. At that time, Hitler made his living by drawing small pictures of views of Vienna and selling them to tourists in restaurants and taverns.

Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer died on November 13, 1945 in Zurich. Before his death, he canceled in his will the donation of paintings to Austrian museums. Since Ferdinand and Adele had no children, Ferdinand appointed his brother's children as heirs - Maria Altmann, Louise Gutmann and Robert Bentley. Shortly before his death, he hired Viennese lawyer Rinesh to protect the interests of the heirs.

In 1946, Austria declared everything legal acts, created by the Nazis, invalid. However, when returning to their owners confiscated by the Nazis artistic values Austria used the tactic of voluntary-compulsory transfer of artistic masterpieces to museums by owners in exchange for permission to remove the bulk of their collections from the country.

The same thing happened with five paintings by Klimt: they remained in the Austrian gallery - in exchange for the fact that the heirs of the Bloch-Bauers had the opportunity to take out the main part of the collection. It would seem that history could be put to an end, but in 1998 Austria adopted the Law on Art Restitution, which required the return of works of art looted by the Nazis and allowed any citizen to request information from museums about how works of art came into their holdings.

In the same year, an Austrian journalist, working in the archives, discovered documents in which the transfer of Klimt's paintings to the Austrian Belvedere Gallery was falsified. If you remember, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer gave the gallery only one landscape in 1936.

A series of articles on this topic followed, and the only living heir of the Bloch-Bauers, US citizen Maria Altman, learned about this and went to court. In February 2006, the famous “Golden Adele” and four other paintings by Klimt, after the trial “Maria Altman v. the Republic of Austria,” by decision of an international court, became the personal property of 79-year-old Maria Altman, who had lived in Los Angeles since 1942.

At the same time, the Austrian government declared its desire to preserve Klimt’s works in the country. Austria took rescue measures unprecedented in the history of the state national treasure: Negotiations were held with banks about a loan for the purchase of paintings, the government of the country turned to the population with a request for help, intending to issue “Klimt bonds.”

The public announced a fundraising subscription, and donations began to come not only from Austrians. However, the price of 150 million dollars, requested by Maria Altman, within a month soared to 245, and then to 300 million. After such “greedy behavior” of the heiress, Austria refused the right of first refusal to purchase paintings, and five Klimt paintings were transported to Los Angeles.

Maria Altmann had a rare chance to go down in Austrian history by showing nobility and leaving Klimt's paintings in his homeland. Of course, not for free, because the initial estimate of 150 million dollars was considered in Austria as fair compensation. However, the subsequent doubling of the price and Altman’s intransigence, of course, did not increase sympathy for this elderly woman in the artist’s homeland.

In addition, the will of Adele Bloch-Bauer herself was actually violated, who wished to transfer the paintings to the Austrian gallery. Paradoxically, the Nazi regime seemed to fulfill Adele’s will by transferring Klimt’s paintings to the gallery. It should be noted that portraits of Adele, despite the rampant anti-Semitism in Austria at that time, were exhibited in the museum during the Nazi era.

At the beginning of February 2006, more than four thousand Austrians and guests of Vienna came to the Belvedere Gallery to last time see five paintings by Klimt that have passed into private hands. "Golden Adele" was business card Vienna's Belvedere Gallery, she long years was placed on the covers of catalogs and albums about the museum.

On February 14, 2006, the paintings flew overseas, and already on June 19, newspapers reported that “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” was purchased by Ronald Lauder for $135 million and placed in his New gallery in NYC. Now “Golden Adele” can be admired by residents and guests of New York, while everyone else can see famous painting Klimt on souvenirs.
In addition to two portraits of Adele, three landscapes were also given.

On February 7, 2011, Maria Altman passed away, but her heirs, even with their great desire, would not be able to donate Klimt’s paintings to the Austrian Belvedere Gallery, since all of them had already been sold to private individuals.

Here you can see the text with illustrations. http://maxpark.com/community/6782/content/3200699

A rich Jew finds out that his wife is cheating on him with an artist. He orders a portrait of his wife from his rival for a huge amount. Four years to sketch. Result: great picture. Although the love, of course, passed.

1. What could be the moral of a story involving Adolf Hitler, $135 million, George W. Bush, the genius Gustav Klimt, the femme fatale Adele Bloch-Bauer, the US government and the people of Austria?

There is no morality, but there is pursuit and sacrifice, betrayal and revenge, love and hatred. You probably already guessed that we're talking about about the painting by Gustav Klimt “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer”, or “Golden Adele”, this painting is also called the “Austrian Mona Lisa”.

And it all started like this.

2. 1904. Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer walked along the paved sidewalk, whistling a cheerful tune, waving his cane, sometimes stopping and politely bowing to the gentlemen he met.

He has already decided everything for himself. At first, of course, he wanted to kill her, but in Jewish families it is not customary to kill wives for adultery. He also could not get a divorce; divorce is not customary in Jewish families. Especially in families like his and his wife Adele's, the elite families of the Austrian Jewish diaspora. In such families, marriages are concluded forever. Money must go to money, capital to capital. This marriage was approved by the parents on both sides. Adele's father, Moritz Bauer, a major banker, chairman of the Austrian Bankers Association, had been looking for worthy grooms for his daughters for a long time and chose the brothers Ferdinand and Gustav Bloch, who were engaged in sugar production and had several enterprises, the shares of which were continuously growing.

3. All of Vienna feasted at the wedding, and after the merger of capitals, both families became Bloch-Bauers. And now the largest sugar refiner in Europe, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, walked along the pavement and felt branched horns growing on his head, under a luxurious satin cylinder. Only the lazy didn't discuss it whirlwind romance his wife Adele and the artist Gustav Klimt. He did not sleep for many nights in a row, he lay and stared into the darkness until he came up with his revenge on Adelka... That’s what he called her - not Adel, but Adelka.

4. Adele Bloch-Bauer

He may not have been as educated and well-read as Adele, but he also knew something, and could know, for example, that the ancient Indians, in order to separate lovers, chained them to each other and kept them together until they began to hate each other friend as much as you recently loved.

This idea came to him in a dream. He will order him (Klimt) a portrait of Adele! And let Klimt make 100 sketches until he begins to vomit from her. He won’t be able to do this for long, he needs to change models, mistresses, concubines, and the women around him, otherwise he will suffocate. No wonder he is credited with having fourteen illegitimate children. Let him paint this portrait for several years! And let Adelka see how Klimt’s feelings fade away. Let him understand who she exchanged him for, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer! And they won't be able to separate. A contract is a serious matter. And the contract contains a fine that exceeds the contract amount by tens of times. Ferdinand can easily ruin Klimt.

5. Emilia Flöge and Gustav Klimt

He dreamed that his sugar empire fell apart into small pieces of sugar and little men stole everything into their little holes, and he was left with only a portrait of his wife. Ferdinand decided to order a portrait of Adele from Klimt and call the painting “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer,” thus perpetuating his family name.

6. Favored by the authorities, Klimt was a very fashionable and sought-after artist, his paintings were good investment capital, and Ferdinand understood this very well. In a few recent years Klimt and his brother traveled all over the country, designing the mineral water pavilion in Carlsbad, the capital's Burgtheater, and the villa of Empress Sissi. At twenty-six, Klimt received the Golden Order of Merit, and at twenty-eight, the Imperial Prize.

Therefore, Ferdinand very carefully prepared the contract with Klimt, his best lawyers dealt with this issue, and now it was important that Klimt sign the papers.

When Ferdinand came home, Adele was reclining on the couch in the living room and smoking, as usual, a cigarillo in her mouthpiece. She loved apple tobacco. Her thin, flexible figure resembled a panther at rest, she was so graceful. Subtle features faces and dark hair were good. Adele is used to happy “doing nothing.” She grew up very rich family surrounded by an army of servants. In those days, for some reason, girls were not allowed to study at university, but Adele’s parents gave her good home education. Adele was a very romantic lady, she read classics in four languages ​​and amazingly she combined painful, airy fragility with the proud arrogance of a millionaire. During her marriage, Adele entertained herself by maintaining a fashionable salon, where poets, artists and all the people of color gathered secular society Vienna. There he and Gustav met.

7. Adele Bloch-Bauer

Walking into the living room, Ferdinand invited Adele to change clothes, since he had invited Klimt to dinner. At the mention of Klimt, Adele flushed, and this did not escape her husband’s eyes. Gustav Klimt arrived without delay, taking with him a picture frame just in case. Very interesting, but he always started with the frame. His brother made a beautiful frame, and Klimt inscribed his masterpiece there. The dinner passed quietly, except for the fact that Gustav and Adele stubbornly refused to look at each other. Ferdinand, on the contrary, was cheerful and joked constantly.

8. Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer

After dinner, all three gathered in the living room. And something like this dialogue took place between them.

Ferdinand (officially): - Mr. Klimt! You probably already guessed that I invited you to place an order, and therefore took the stretcher with you? I would like to order you unusual portrait my wife Adele.
Klimt: - Why should it be unusual?
Ferdinand: - Because it should last at least several centuries!
Klimt (interested): - Interesting, interesting... several centuries. Don't know. I am interested in depicting the most important points in a person’s life: conception, pregnancy, birth, youth, midday, old age...
Ferdinand: - But the Bible was written by people, “ Sistine Madonna"was painted by a man, and these works live on for centuries! So you make a portrait of my wife, like the Madonna of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and let this portrait live for centuries!
Klimt: - You are setting me a very difficult task!
Ferdinand: - We are in no hurry. I'll pay you a good advance so you don't think about money.
Klimt: - Similar picture may require additional costs.
Ferdinand: - For example?
Klimt: - For example, I would like to trim the dress with gold plates...
Ferdinand:- If you are going to trim my wife's dress with gold and draw attention to the bottom of the painting, then I will buy a necklace in hopes of drawing attention to the top of the painting.
Adele (ironic): - Now you have already divided all of me. All I can do is “fold my arms across my chest” to draw attention to the middle part of the picture.
Ferdinand: - I would like the portrait of my wife not to contain naked places, like your portrait of Judith.
Klimt: - Of course. I will make a sketch and only after your approval will I begin the main work.

Seeing the amount of the contract, Gustav Klimt signed it without even reading it. He, of course, suspected that he genius artist, but the price that Ferdinand offered him simply stunned him.

9. Collectible coin with a fragment of “Adele” with a face value of 50 euros. Market value 505 euros

10. Klimt wrote about a hundred sketches for this portrait. And he finished work on it in four years.

Ferdinand was pleased. The painting was finished (and many paintings remained unfinished) and fully corresponded to his plan. He and Adele hung it in the living room of their Viennese house.

It is obvious that the relationship between Klimt and Adele gradually faded away. Some time after starting work on the painting, Adele fell ill, and Klimt had to take long breaks from work.

Adele was sick and at the same time smoked a lot, most often spending the whole day without getting out of bed. God never gave him and Ferdinand children. She tried to give birth three times, and each time the children died. All my unspent mother's love Adele transferred this to her sister’s children, especially highlighting her niece Maria Bloch-Bauer. Maria often came to sit with her sick aunt, they discussed the latest fashion trends and styles of dresses for Maria's first ball. And also paintings by the artist Klimt, of which there are already more than ten pieces in the house of Adele and Ferdinand.

11. Ferdinand devoted his time to working in his sugar empire. He never told Adele that he knew about her relationship with Gustav.

Time passed, the First One was approaching World War. The “golden period” in Klimt’s life ended, giving way to depressing paintings depicting death and the end of the world. Klimt had a very difficult time with the events taking place in the world. The war had a detrimental effect on him. And at the age of 52, in 1918, Klimt suddenly died of a stroke in his workshop, in the arms of his eternal companion Emilia Flöge.

Adele survived him by seven years and died in 1925, dying quietly after meningitis. Before her death, Adele asked Ferdinand to bequeath three paintings, including “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer,” to the Belvedere Museum in Vienna.

12. Ferdinand lived alone, his life became harder and harder as Austria became part of Germany in 1938 and the Nazis began hunting Austrian Jews. In the same year, Ferdinand managed to escape to Switzerland, leaving all his property in the care of his brother’s family.

The painting remained in the living room as World War II approached.

Gustav Bloch-Bauer, brother Ferdinand, was the husband of Adele's sister. There were five children in their family; the same Maria who visited Adele during her illness was the youngest. Oddly enough, they lived very modestly, dressed simply and allowed their children only the cheapest Italian ice cream. Outside the family sugar business, Maria's father was a good musician and a friend of Rothschild, who brought a Stradivarius cello to their house, and then almost everyone who was partial to high art Vein.

When Maria was a teenager, she had a tender friendship with Alois Kunst from the gymnasium, which was not far from the one where she studied. She often invited him to her aunt Adele's house, and they looked at the painting together. Maria even invited Alois to her first ball. And this meant that Alois was introduced to Maria’s parents and approved by them - they considered him a cultured and well-mannered young man. And Aunt Adele allowed Maria to wear her diamond necklace, in which she posed for Klimt. And Maria remembered this ball for the rest of her life. She and Alois knew that the painting had its own secret. If you look at Adele under certain angle and make a wish, you can tell by the corners of your lips whether Adele is smiling or frowning. If he smiles, then the wish will come true.

14. Gustav Klimt, “Dancer”, 1916-1918

But Maria married someone else. Frederick Altman was opera singer, the son of a major industrialist. Money to money, capital to capital. Apparently his parents were wealthier. They married in 1938, on the eve of the German invasion of Austria. But, despite the arranged marriage, Maria loved her husband very much and lived with him all her life. The famous diamond necklace, in which Adele Bloch-Bauer posed for Gustav Klimt, was given to her by her uncle Ferdinand as a wedding gift.

When the Nazis began hunting Austrian Jews, Uncle Ferdinand fled to Switzerland, and Maria's husband, Frederick, was captured and sent to the Gestapo. A little later, he found himself in the concentration camp at Dachau, where thousands of Jews turned into black smoke after handing over all their property to the German authorities. The Gestapo broke into Maria's house in Vienna and took away all the jewelry and Stradivarius cello, and Adele's diamond necklace was simply put in a bag (there were eyewitnesses that Heinrich Himmler's wife later appeared in public wearing this necklace several times). Maria did not spare anything and immediately signed all the necessary papers, in which she renounced all movable and immovable property - she was ready to do anything just to save her husband from death.

15. Dachau concentration camp

Maria expected that “Golden Adele” would be taken away any day now. She was almost not surprised when her school friend Alois Kunst came for the painting, accompanied by a detachment of Gestapo men. Kunst collaborated with the Nazis, collecting for them a collection of paintings, some of which ended up in the caches and basements of the Third Reich. When she asked how he could become a traitor, he said that this way he could do much more for Austria.

Adolf Hitler had a positive attitude towards the work of Gustav Klimt. It is not advertised anywhere, but it turns out that he and Klimt met when Hitler was trying to enter the Academy of Painting in Vienna. And Klimt was already an honorary professor at this academy. At that time, Hitler made his living by drawing small pictures with views of Vienna and selling them to tourists in restaurants and taverns. So, he came to Klimt to show his work and maybe take a few painting lessons. And Klimt, out of the kindness of his heart, announced to Hitler that he was a genius and did not need to take lessons. Hitler left Klimt very pleased, and told his friends that Klimt himself recognized him. Hitler never entered the Academy of Painting; instead, Oskar Kokoschka, a Jew by nationality, was accepted there. Maybe that's why Hitler once said that his hatred of Jews was purely personal.

16. Paintings of Adolf Hitler

But this hatred did not affect Klimt’s paintings; they were ordered to be protected, despite Jewish origin author.

17. When “Golden Adele” left her home, the Fuhrer did not accept it into his collection. Adele was an outspoken Jew, and, as you yourself understand, such a picture could not hang either in the Reichstag or in other buildings of Nazi Germany. That is why it is worth paying attention to the appearance of Adele Bloch-Bauer. The model's appearance saved the painting from destruction. The picture disappeared. Nobody knows where Adele's portrait was during the war years.

Carefully preserved... by Alois Kunst, in perfect condition, she surfaced after the end of the war and settled in central museum Belvedere in Vienna. And Alois Kunst became the director of this museum and continued to carefully preserve the relic - the “Austrian Mona Lisa”, his beloved Adele.

18. Belvedere Museum, Vienna

Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer died in November 1945, completely alone. And none of his relatives could see him off on his last journey.

19. Maria and her husband were lucky because the investigator in the Gestapo was an acquaintance of Altman, with whom Frederick was engaged in mountaineering and whom he once saved by pulling him out of the abyss. They ran along fake documents. The Gestapo pursued them. Maria recalled how on a plane that was flying from Vienna to London and had already taxied to runway, suddenly the engines turned off and armed Gestapo men with machine guns entered the cabin. The Altmans sat clutching their chairs, thinking that it was behind them. But no, they brought out someone else. Maria Altman carefully kept the torn stockings in which she and her husband climbed over the barbed wire. She considered them a symbol of her freedom. The Altman couple moved first to England and then to the USA. After some time, Maria received American citizenship.

Everything was calm until the persistent journalist Hubertus Czernin dug up the will of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, left by him before his death in Switzerland, which canceled all his previous wills. In it, Ferdinand bequeathed all his property to his nephews - the children of his brother, Gustav Bloch-Bauer. Capital, in his opinion, had to work for the family. At that time, only Maria remained alive, and she was already over 80 years old. But Hubertus understood that it was his finest hour. Despite his count origins, he was poor, but loved to live large. He understood that the American millionaire would pay a good sum for such information. And so it happened. Maria considered herself eternally indebted to him.

20. Restitution lawyer Randol Schoenberg, at left, with heiress Marie Altmann (r.); between them, Adele Bloch Bauer, as Klimt might have sketched her for his famous painting, Die Dame in Gold | Illustration: Katharina Klein

All of Austria was alarmed like a hornet's nest. The headlines of the Austrian newspapers screamed: “Austria is losing its relic!”, “We will not give America our national treasure!” The police received threats that the painting would be destroyed, but it would not go to America. In the end, the museum’s management decided to put “Golden Adele” out of harm’s way and put it in storage.

Surprisingly, George W. Bush, using some of his levers, did not give progress to the matter about the paintings. He absolutely did not want to spoil relations with the Austrians. Maria Altman fought for her property for seven long years. The courts were busy making excuses and coming up with reasons not to consider this case. But Maria’s lawyers conducted an investigation and found out that Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer had Czech citizenship, and managed to get the court hearing transferred to the United States, since on paper the US citizen asked to legitimize the will of a Czech citizen. “What does Austria have to do with it?” - they asked.

And Austria had nothing to do with it. And by decision of the US Supreme Court, Austria was obliged to return five paintings by Gustav Klimt, including “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer,” to the legal heir, Maria Altman.

21. Four paintings that were returned to Maria Altman along with the “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.” Clockwise: Birch Grove, 1903; “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II”, 1912; “Houses in Unterach near Attersee”, 1916; "Apple Tree I", 1912

Maria was happy and did not insist that the paintings leave Austria. She asked to be paid their market value. The price for all five paintings was set at $155 million. This amount was unaffordable for the Austrian Ministry of Culture.

22. All of Austria came to the defense of the “Golden Adele”. She took measures unprecedented in the history of the state to save the national heritage. Negotiations were held with banks about a loan to purchase paintings. In addition, the country's government appealed to the population for help, intending to issue “Klimt bonds.” The public announced a fundraising subscription. Donations began to arrive, and not only from the Austrians. The Austrian government has almost collected the required amount.

The excitement around the paintings inflated their market value, and Maria decided to raise the price to $300 million. Maria Altmann had a rare chance to go down in Austrian history by showing nobility and leaving Klimt's paintings in his homeland. Of course, not for free, and the initial estimate of $155 million was considered fair compensation in Austria.

Thousands of Viennese residents came to celebrate the “Golden Adele”, people came from all over Austria. Crowds of people lined the streets along which relics were removed in armored vehicles. Some were crying. It’s no joke, the “Portrait of Adele” has been a symbol of Austria for almost 100 years.

After some time, Maria Altman sold “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” to Ronald Lauder, owner of the Estee Lauder perfume concern, for $135 million. Ronald Lauder built new house for the "Golden Adele", which was called "the museum of Austrian and German art" And now the painting is completely safe there.

Journalist Hubertus Czernin was never able to use the money he received from Maria Altman, because he died four months after the removal of Klimt’s paintings. Official version police - heart attack.

Maria Altman died in 2011 at the age of 94.

Maria Altman himself! On the background real picture"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"

Just imagine this elderly woman saw the real live Adele Bloch-Bauer, her husband Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. True, she was only two years old when Klimt died. But, looking at her, you feel full reality events that happened - incredible story great picture.

"Golden Adele" is very popular in the world.

Poems are written to her:

From what distant lands unknown to me
Have you come into my life, golden Adele?
The curve of your neck, your lips rosanelle -
Everything is so wonderful about you, golden Adele...

The sweet intoxication of your saddened eyes
Hurts the soul with a forgotten dream, ma Belle,
And the break of gentle hands, and pastel blush -
It’s all just you, only you - golden Adele...

You are sitting as a queen on the throne... Really?
Yours short life like a swing carousel,
Flash by, wisely meeting the fatal goal?
Wait a minute! Be with me, golden Adele...

It is being replicated as best they can.

24. All participants in the events have passed on to another world, but “Golden Adele” is alive and will live for centuries, as Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer wanted.

... Continuation

Gustav Klimt

Adele Bloch-Bauer I"

... CONTINUATION...

"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", fragment (Gustav Klimt, 1907).
The painting is also known as “Golden Adele” or “Austrian Mona Lisa”

Adolf Hitler, it turns out, had a positive attitude towards the work of Gustav Klimt. It is not advertised anywhere, but it turns out that he and Klimt met when Hitler was trying to enter the Academy of Painting in Vienna. And Klimt was already an honorary professor at this academy. At that time, Hitler made his living by drawing small pictures with views of Vienna and selling them to tourists in restaurants and taverns. So he came to Klimt to show his work, and maybe take a few painting lessons. And Klimt, out of the kindness of his heart, announced to Hitler that he was a genius and did not need to take lessons. Hitler left Klimt very pleased, and told his friends that Klimt himself recognized him. Hitler never entered the Academy of Painting; instead, Oskar Kokoschka, a Jew by nationality, was accepted there. Maybe that’s why Hitler once said that his hatred of Jews was purely personal.

Paintings of Adolf Hitler.

But this hatred did not affect Klimt’s paintings; they were ordered to be protected, despite the author’s Jewish origin.

When “Golden Adele” left her home, the Fuhrer did not accept it into his collection. Adele was an outspoken Jew, and, as you yourself understand, such a picture could not hang either in the Reichstag or in other places in Nazi Germany. That is why it is worth paying attention to the appearance of Adele Bloch-Bauer. The model's appearance saved the painting from destruction. The picture disappeared. Nobody knows where Adele's portrait was during the war years.

Carefully preserved... by Alois Kunst, in perfect condition, it surfaced after the end of the war and settled in the central Belvedere Museum in Vienna. And Alois Kunst became the director of this museum and continued to carefully preserve the relic - the "Austrian Mona Lisa", his beloved Adele.

Belvedere Museum, Vienna.

Ferdinand Bloch Bauer died in November 1945, completely alone. And none of his relatives could see him off on his last journey.

Maria and her husband were lucky because the investigator in the Gestapo was an acquaintance of Altman, with whom Frederick was engaged in mountaineering and once saved him by pulling him out of the abyss. They fled on fake documents. The Gestapo pursued them. Maria recalled how, sitting on a plane that was flying from Vienna to London and was already taxiing onto the runway, the engines suddenly turned off and armed Gestapo men with machine guns entered. The Altmans sat clutching their chairs, they thought that it was behind them. But no, they brought out someone else. Maria Altman carefully kept the torn stockings in which she and her husband climbed over the barbed wire. She considered them a symbol of her freedom. The Altman couple moved first to England and then to the USA. After some time, Maria received American citizenship.

Everything was calm until the persistent journalist Hubertus Czernin dug up the will of Ferdinand Bloch Bauer, left before his death in Switzerland, which canceled all his previous wills. In this will, Ferdinand bequeathed all his property to his nephews - the children of Gustav Bloch Bauer's brother. Capital, in his opinion, had to work for the family. At that time, only Maria remained alive, and she was already over 80 years old. But Hubertus understood that this was his finest hour. Despite his count origins, he was poor, but loved to live large. He understood that the American millionaire would pay a good sum for such information. And so it happened. Maria considered herself eternally indebted to him.

Restitution lawyer Randol Schoenberg, at left, with -heiress Marie Altmann (r.); between them, Adele Bloch Bauer, as Klimt might have sketched her for his famous painting, Die Dame in Gold | Illustration: Katharina Klein

All of Austria was alarmed like a hornet's nest! The headlines of the Austrian newspapers screamed: “Austria is losing its relic!!!”, “We will not give America our national treasure!!!”. The police received threats that the painting would be destroyed, but it would not go to America. In the end, the museum’s management decided to put “Golden Adele” away, out of harm’s way, into storage.

Surprisingly, George Bush Jr., using some of his levers, did not give progress to the matter about the paintings. He absolutely did not want to spoil relations with the Austrians. Maria Altman fought for her property for seven long years. The courts were busy making excuses and coming up with reasons not to consider this case. But Maria’s lawyers conducted an investigation and found out that Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer had Czech citizenship and managed to get the court hearing transferred to the United States, since on paper the US citizen asked to legitimize the will of a Czech citizen. What does Austria have to do with it, they asked?

And Austria turned out to have nothing to do with it. And by decision of the US Supreme Court, Austria was obliged to return five paintings by Gustav Klimt, including “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” to the legal heir, Maria Altman.

Four paintings that were returned to Maria Altman along with "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"

Clockwise: "Birch Grove. 1903", "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer-2, 1912", "Houses in Unterach near Attersee, 1916", "Apple Tree I, 1912"

Maria was happy and did not insist that the paintings leave Austria. She asked to be paid their market value. The price for all five paintings was set at 155 million dollars. This amount was unaffordable for the Austrian Ministry of Culture.

All of Austria came to the defense of the Golden Adele. Austria has taken measures unprecedented in the history of the state to save its national heritage. Negotiations were held with banks about a loan to purchase paintings. In addition, the country's government appealed to the population for help, intending to issue “Klimt bonds.” The public announced a fundraising subscription. Donations began to arrive, and not only from the Austrians. The Austrian government has almost collected the required amount.

The excitement around the paintings inflated their market value and Maria decided to raise the price to $300 million. Maria Altmann had a rare chance to go down in Austrian history by showing nobility and leaving Klimt's paintings in his homeland. Of course, not for free, and the initial estimate of $155 million was considered fair compensation in Austria.

Thousands of Viennese residents came to celebrate the “Golden Adele”, people came from all over Austria. Crowds of people lined the streets along which relics were removed in armored vehicles. Some people were crying. It's no joke, the Portrait of Adele has been a symbol of Austria for almost 100 years.

After some time, Maria Altman sold “Portrait of Adele” for 135 million dollars Bloch-Bauer"To Ronald Lauder, owner of the Estee Lauder perfume concern. Ronald Lauder built a new house for the Golden Adele, which was called the "Museum of Austrian and German Art." And now the painting is completely safe there.

Journalist Hubertus Czernin was never able to use the money he received from Maria Altman, because he died four months after the removal of Klimt’s paintings. The official police version is "heart attack."

Maria Altman died in 2004 at the age of 91.

Maria Altman herself! Against the background of the real painting "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"

Just imagine, this elderly woman saw the real live Adele Bloch-Bauer, her husband Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. True, she was only two years old when Klimt died. But looking at it, you feel the complete reality of the events that took place - the incredible history of the great painting.

Golden Adele is very popular in the world.

Poems are written to her:

From what distant lands unknown to me
Have you come into my life, golden Adele?
The curve of your neck, your lips rosanelle -
Everything is so wonderful about you, golden Adele...

The sweet intoxication of your saddened eyes
Hurts the soul with a forgotten dream, ma Belle,
And the break of gentle hands, and pastel blush -
It's all just you, only you - golden Adele...

You are sitting as a queen on the throne...Really?
Your short life is like a swing-carousel,
Will it flash, wisely meeting the fatal goal?
Wait a minute! Be with me, golden Adele...

It is being replicated as best they can.

All participants in the events have passed on to another world, but Golden Adele is alive and will live for centuries, as Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer wanted.