Much art was taken from its rightful owners during the Second World War. The ERR seized numerous Jewish art collections, with Hitler mandating in 1940 that all consficated works of art were to be made over to him, and envisioning a National Socialist Art Museum in Linz, his home town. Much of these plundered works are still missing, unreturned to their rightful owners, or worse, destroyed.
Ferdinand died in Switzerland, penniless, willing his by-now notional possessions to his nephews and Maria Altman, who had been able to escape to the United States with her husband from a concentration camp. When the war ended, the Austrian government forbade the removal of "Austrian art" from their borders, requiring recompense from claimants. Dr Karl Renner, Austrian President, wrote on the issue, stating, "Restitution of property stolen from Jews, this [should be] not to the individual victims, but to a collective restitution fund. The establishment of such and the following foreseeable arrangements is necessary in order to prevent a massive, sudden flood of returning exiles"
Gustav Klimt was as Austrian as the Sacher torte, but his artistic sensibilities ran contrary to the regimental and traditional culture of Vienna. He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement, known today as Art Nouveau, that adopted the motto, "to every age its art and to art its freedom", and stretched the boundaries of art in fin-de-siecle Vienna, itself challenged by other intellectuals such as Dr Freud.
Klimt borrowed from numerous influences, and he painted the Adele Bloch-Bauer I in a form inspired by the golden shower of Danae by Zeus. It is Byzantine in form, with sumptuous gold patterns such as those at Ravenna in Italy. Amid this ornate background, the subject's face and hands stand out in stark contrast, conveying much confidence and worldly knowledge, as might be apposite for a woman who hosted a notable salon of the day in Vienna. The high point of European Modernism would soon descend into Fascist intolerance and orthodoxy.
The painting, along with many others, was placed in the Belvedere Museum in Vienna after the War, and the museum battled earnestly, and perhaps with subterfuge to keep it with them. It has been the subject of much kitsch and inspiration for everything from coasters to wall-hangings.
Article comments
1 - Duke De Mondo
Aaman, this was tremendous! tremendous, i say!
2 - Aaman
Thanks, we try:)
3 - Snarkattack
Bloody good piece, truly. It makes me want to pull out my art books and listen to German expressionist song cycles again, ah those wacky days at uni...
Some fellow lipgloss-addict co-conspirators informed me that this work was actually purchased by Lauder just before reading your article, and I have to say, I'm really glad that the dough I spent on lipgloss went towards funding this magnificent work, and thus my love for modernism and lipgloss are fused, if you'll permit me such a shallow comment.
4 - arspoetica
The problem with blogs and their unqualified commentators continues to be their strange notion of fact and truth -- "an octogenarian concentration camp survivor"? Where did you get this fabrication? Although Mrs. Altmann's husband was imprisoned at Dachau (for ransom), she has never claimed incarceration; so why do you?
5 - shnstl
I am very surprised that Mr. Lauder is allowing the painting to be made available to the American public. This gesture is very decent and will provide many viewers with the opportunity to see something spectacular.