Who Was She?
You could call Adele Bloch-Bauer the Jewish Paris Hilton of her time. This Viennese socialite was born into great wealth and married a man of great wealth as well. Her father was Moritz Bauer, a prominent banker, who arranged her marriage to sugar businessman Ferdinand Bloch. Clearly, there was plenty of cash to go around in the family. One of the things that the couple did with their money was to regularly host artists, politicians, and intellectuals at what must have been the coolest salon events ever. Klimt was one of those people who had the pleasure of being on the couple’s guest list. In fact, Adele may have known him before she met her husband, and the two were even speculated to have been romantically involved. Further rumors say that she modeled for a few of his paintings, including the controversially intimate “Judith and the Head of Holofernes.”
The History of the Portrait
Adele’s portrait was commissioned by her husband when she was 26 but it took three years to complete. That would give you a sense of all the work that went into the 55⅛ in × 55⅛ in canvas. The artist’s mixed technique included the use of gold leaf and oil paints to create intricate details. This showstopping piece obviously left a mark as Ferdinand commissioned a second portrait of his wife just five years later. While less famous than the first one, it’s still an impressive work of art.
Where Is It Now?
Adele passed away in 1925, leaving her husband as her only heir as the two never had children. This means that her art collection, including both of her portraits, became his. While we are sure he had every intention to keep the fortune and art, things soon became contentious for a Jewish man in Vienna at the beginning of WWII and the man had to flee to Switzerland, with the Austrian government confiscating his entire fortune, including the portrait. After the war was over, an intense legal battle discussed the question of the painting’s rightful owner, finally handing it over to Maria Altman, one of Bloch-Bauer’s heirs. In 2006, it was bought by Jewish-American businessman Ron Lauder for $135 million (a record-breaking sum at the time), and he displays it at his private museum to this very day. The second portrait was also bought that same year by an anonymous buyer for a mere $88 million.