July Meeting, "The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece: Adele Bloch-Bauer" by Anne-Marie O'Connor

We're a little behind in our posts, but better late than never. 

We had to settle for Italian food before this month's book group because there are no German or Austrian restaurants in the neighborhood where we were meeting  After dinner, we met at Mary's house and every member of the group was there, a rare occurrence! Several people brought books of Gustav Klimt’s paintings for show and tell.

The Lady in Gold is about so many things. It’s the biography of the painting, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, from its creation to its current, permanent placement in the Neue Galerie in New York. It’s the biography of August Klimt, an extremely gifted, but contentious, artist. It’s the history of Vienna and Austria starting from the turn of the century through the Nazi period and beyond. It's the legal drama about repatriating stolen art after the war. And it’s the story of the family, friends, and descendants of Adele Bloch-Bauer. 

The eccentric artist - Gustav Klimt

Our discussion was wide ranging. We were fascinated by Klimt’s bohemian life, his many mistresses, and the changes in his painting style. We even discussed his very close friend, Emilie Floge and her clothing designs. 

We were all surprised to learn that Austria was not invaded by the Nazis but that the Nazis were welcomed into the country by the majority of people. We were also surprised to learn that Austrian officials and museum administrators fought tooth and nail to keep Adele’s portrait and other Klimt works. They saw them as part of Austria’s patrimony despite the fact that the art had belonged to Adele’s husband Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer when it was stolen. The latter part of the book is about the lawsuit that pitted Maria Altmann, Adele’s elderly niece, against the state of Austria. 

Everybody was a little confused by the names and sheer number of the relatives and friends of the Bauer-Bloch family. And the legal battle over the painting was way too detailed and confusing to anyone not a lawyer. We also agreed that the book could have used a little editing to shorten it a bit. But we all liked the book and enjoyed the discussion.

If you want to learn more about Klimt, check out the 2006 movie about his life, starring John Malkovich. 

Written by Jane; posted by Donna