Adele Bloch-Bauer is not, in and of herself, particularly well known, but her portrait, commissioned by her husband Ferdinand and painted by Gustav Klimt, is notorious in the art world, both for its unique appearance and its history.
The Nazis stole the portrait, as they did much artwork, from the Jewish banker/sugar producer during World War II. When Adele died, she left all "her" artwork to the Galerie Belvedere, but the painting technically belonged to Ferdinand. The German state gave the portrait to Galerie Belvedere, following the wishes of Adele; but in his will, Ferdinand left his estate to his nephew and two nieces. One of his nieces, Maria Altmann (who was also Gustav Klimt's daughter!), sued the gallery for the return of the portrait and, after a seven-year lawsuit that included a trip to the Supreme Court, an arbitration committee in Vienna agreed that it should belong to her.
She sold it that same year for $135 million to Ronald Lauder, who placed the work in the Neue Galerie, the New York-based gallery he co-founded, where it is exhibited to this day (although it goes out on loan for exhibitions from time to time).
Here's my (spare and wonky) interpretation of "The Woman in Gold," 1903-1907, by Gustav Klimt. Uniball pen, Daler-Rowney inks and watercolor, India ink, metallic watercolor, Posca pen, on 140-lb. Fluid coldpress watercolor paper, 9x12 inches.
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