The Lady in Gold

Here is a story of persistence and justice that inspired the movie Woman in Gold. By taking on the Austrian government, the portrait painted by Gustav Klint is eventually returned to its rightful owner. Once more we witness the reluctance of authorities to acknowledge what was perpetrated during Nazi times.

Taking place in Vienna, the events coincide with the experiences of the protagonist in my own book. The mother fled Germany in late 1937 and lived in Vienna until early 1941. She met her husband there, married him while he was in prison, heard that the Jewish children… show more.

Among the thousands of confiscated pictures in Nazi-occupied Vienna were those painted by Gustav Klimt. He had often been commissioned to paint the women in wealthy Jewish families, most of whom perished in the Holocaust. Here, the author traces the history of the dazzling gold-leaf portrait of the Jewish society beauty, Adele Bloch-Bauer. Included are the multi-generational journeys of members of some of the great Viennese families. The author makes a point of recounting the tragedies that befell these families, but she also illustrates how—against the odds— they pulled what was left of their families back together. For that I… show more.