Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

Gustav Klimt

1907

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

Gustav Klimt’s "Mona Lisa of Austria" drips with actual gold leaf, wrapping the elegant Adele Bloch-Bauer in a dazzling, geometric cage of watchful eyes, triangles, and swirling spirals. Painted during his famous "Golden Phase," this masterpiece took three grueling years to complete and cost a small fortune in precious materials. After being looted by the Nazis and hidden away for decades, it was finally returned to her heirs in a landmark legal victory, eventually finding a permanent home at the Neue Galerie in New York.

Technique
Oil, gold leaf, and silver leaf on canvas
Material
Canvas, oil paint, gold leaf, silver leaf

Location: Neue Galerie, New York

Views: 20 Favorites: 1

Related Artworks