"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" by Gustav Klimt — History, Analysis & Where to See It

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I: The Woman in Gold

Known popularly as The Woman in Gold, the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is the crowning achievement of Gustav Klimt's “Golden Phase” and one of the most celebrated portraits of the twentieth century. Completed in 1907 after three years of preparatory drawings, it depicts Adele Bloch-Bauer, a prominent Viennese socialite and art patron, enveloped in a shimmering field of gold leaf, silver, and ornamental patterns.

The painting's extraordinary history — from its creation in fin-de-siècle Vienna, through Nazi seizure, decades of legal battles, and a record-breaking $135 million sale in 2006 — has made it as famous for its provenance as for its beauty. It now resides at the Neue Galerie in New York, where it is the museum's most treasured possession.

The Story Behind Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925) was the wife of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy Jewish sugar industrialist and patron of the arts in Vienna. The Bloch-Bauers were part of the cultivated Jewish elite that formed the backbone of Vienna's cultural life at the turn of the century. Ferdinand commissioned Klimt to paint his wife's portrait in 1903, and the artist spent four years producing over 100 preparatory sketches before completing the painting in 1907.

When Adele died of meningitis in 1925, her will expressed a wish that her husband donate the Klimt portraits to the Austrian State Gallery. However, the paintings remained Ferdinand's legal property. After the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the Bloch-Bauer collection was seized as part of the systematic looting of Jewish property. The portrait was displayed at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere under the title Woman in Gold, deliberately erasing Adele's Jewish identity.

After decades of legal struggle, Adele and Ferdinand's niece, Maria Altmann, filed a lawsuit against the Austrian government in 2000 to recover the paintings. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in Republic of Austria v. Altmann (2004), and in 2006 an Austrian arbitration panel ruled in Altmann's favor. The portrait was returned to her and subsequently sold to cosmetics magnate Ronald Lauder for $135 million — at the time, the highest price ever paid for a painting.

Lauder placed the portrait at the Neue Galerie, his museum of German and Austrian art on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where it has been on permanent display since June 2006. The story was dramatized in the 2015 film Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren as Maria Altmann.

Artistic Analysis: Technique & Style

The Golden Surface

Klimt applied gold leaf and silver leaf directly onto the canvas, a technique inspired by his early training as a decorative painter and by Byzantine mosaics he saw during a 1903 trip to Ravenna, Italy. The gold field surrounding Adele flattens the pictorial space and elevates the portrait into a realm that is more icon than naturalistic representation. The shimmering surface catches light in ways that change depending on the viewer's angle, making the painting a living, almost kinetic experience.

Ornamental Patterning

Adele's dress and the background dissolve into a tapestry of decorative motifs: Egyptian eyes, spirals, triangles, and organic forms derived from both Art Nouveau design and ancient Egyptian, Byzantine, and Mycenaean art. These patterns serve a dual purpose — they are visually ravishing and they blur the boundary between the figure and her setting, making Adele appear to emerge from and dissolve into a golden dreamscape.

Naturalistic Face & Hands

In striking contrast to the ornamental abstraction of the dress and background, Adele's face and hands are painted with careful naturalism. Her expression is contemplative, her lips slightly parted, her gaze direct but somewhat melancholic. The hands are clasped in an unusual position that Klimt used to conceal a deformity of Adele's right hand. This tension between abstract decoration and realistic flesh gives the portrait its hypnotic power.

Symbolism & Egyptian Influence

The eye-like forms scattered across Adele's dress have been linked to the Eye of Horus from ancient Egyptian art, symbolizing protection and royal power. The triangular shapes may reference female fertility and divinity. Klimt's synthesis of ancient symbolism with modern Viennese aesthetics creates a portrait that feels simultaneously timeless and of its moment — a visual embodiment of Vienna's cultural golden age.

Where to See Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

The Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is permanently displayed at the Neue Galerie in New York City, located at 1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th Street) on Manhattan's Museum Mile. The painting occupies a dedicated gallery on the second floor.

The Neue Galerie is open Thursday through Monday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Admission is $25 for adults; students and seniors receive discounts. Children under 12 are not admitted. For the best viewing experience, visit on Thursday or Friday mornings when the museum tends to be quietest.

If you use ArtScan at the Neue Galerie, you can point your camera at the portrait or any other artwork to instantly receive artist information, historical context, and analysis of the techniques used.

Fun Facts About Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

• It sold for $135 million in 2006. When Ronald Lauder purchased the painting from Maria Altmann, it was the most expensive painting ever sold, surpassing Picasso's Boy with a Pipe. The record has since been broken multiple times.
• Klimt made over 100 preparatory drawings. The portrait took four years to complete (1903–1907), during which Klimt produced an extraordinary number of sketches and studies, reflecting his perfectionism and the patron's willingness to wait.
• The Nazis renamed it to erase its Jewish identity. After seizing the painting in 1938, Austrian authorities displayed it as Woman in Gold, removing the Bloch-Bauer name. This deliberate erasure of provenance was part of the broader Nazi campaign against Jewish cultural identity.
• It inspired a Hollywood film. The 2015 movie Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds, tells the story of Maria Altmann's legal battle to recover the painting from the Austrian government.
• Real gold leaf is used. Klimt applied genuine gold leaf and silver leaf to the canvas. Over time, the gold has maintained its luster remarkably well, though the silver has tarnished slightly, adding a subtle patina to certain areas of the painting.
• Klimt's Ravenna trip changed everything. Klimt's visit to the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna in 1903 profoundly influenced his “Golden Phase.” The glittering gold backgrounds of the mosaics in the Basilica of San Vitale directly inspired the golden surfaces in this portrait.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I located?

The painting is on permanent display at the Neue Galerie in New York City, located at 1048 Fifth Avenue on Manhattan's Museum Mile.

Who was Adele Bloch-Bauer?

Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925) was a prominent Viennese socialite, intellectual, and patron of the arts. She was the wife of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy sugar industrialist, and was part of the cultivated Jewish elite in early twentieth-century Vienna.

Why is it called The Woman in Gold?

The nickname “Woman in Gold” originated when the Nazis seized the painting in 1938 and renamed it to erase the Jewish family name. The title stuck in popular culture and was used for the 2015 Helen Mirren film about the painting's restitution.

How much did the painting sell for?

Ronald Lauder purchased the painting for $135 million in June 2006, making it the most expensive painting ever sold at that time. He placed it permanently at the Neue Galerie in New York.

What materials did Klimt use?

Klimt used oil paint, gold leaf, and silver leaf on canvas. The combination of traditional painting techniques with precious metallic materials gives the portrait its distinctive luminous quality and connects it to Byzantine artistic traditions.

What is the connection to the film Woman in Gold?

The 2015 film Woman in Gold tells the true story of Maria Altmann, the niece of Adele and Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, who fought a legal battle against the Austrian government to recover five Klimt paintings stolen by the Nazis. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in her favor in 2004.