Maria Altmann

Maria Altmann ( born February 18, 1916 in Vienna, Austria, † February 7, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California ) was an American art collector and was known as the heir of the Viennese industrialist Ferdinand Bloch -Bauer. After years of dispute her five paintings by Gustav Klimt were passed from the possession of her uncle in 2006, which until then were exhibited in the Austrian Gallery in the Belvedere Palace in Vienna; including the portrait of Adele Bloch -Bauer I.

Life and Family

Maria Altmann was the daughter of the lawyer Gustav Bloch- Bauer ( born September 22, 1862 in Mladá Boleslav, Bohemia, † July 2, 1938 in Vienna) and his wife Therese Bauer ( * May 26, 1874 in Augsburg, Bavaria, † 1961 Canada). Her grandfather of sugar industrialist David Bloch was paternal (around 1819-1892 ), the maternal grandfather was the director of the Vienna Bank Corporation Moritz Bauer ( 1840-1905 ) from Buttenwiesen in Bavaria. Her father was the brother of Ferdinand Bloch -Bauer and her mother was the sister of Adele Bloch- Bauer (born farmer ). Both brothers Bloch, Ferdinand and Gustav, changed their family name in 1917 by Bloch Bloch -Bauer, because all the sons of the farmer's family were either childless or had only daughters. She was nine years old when her aunt died. On December 9, 1937 Mary married in Vienna Fritz Altmann, a brother of the textile manufacturer Bernhard Altmann in the synagogue Turnergasse. Ferdinand Bloch's wedding gift, a diamond necklace, together with earrings from the possession of Adele's was later stolen by the Nazis and came into the possession of the family of Hermann Goering.

After the "Anschluss of Austria" in the National Socialist German Reich the entire family to the target of anti -Semitic persecution. Fritz Altmann was taken to the Dachau concentration camp. Maria Altmann came to Berlin and was forced by the Gestapo to agree to the linearization of the operation of Bernhard Altmann. Fritz Altmann was released after some time, but was put under house arrest, from which he was able to flee with Mary. The road to exile led them across the Netherlands to Britain and finally the United States. In 1942 they reached Los Angeles, where Maria Altmann lived until her death. In 1945, she received the U.S. citizenship. Maria Altmann has four children and six grandchildren. Until her retirement, she ran a boutique in Beverly Hills.

The restitution of the Klimt paintings

Maria Altmann's name is represented by the restitution of the expropriated art treasures which were formerly owned by the family in 1938 and had to be left behind on the run, in the media. Until now 36 images were returned to the Altmann family, 16 of which were Klimt drawings. In January 2006, Maria Altmann got, which was represented by her lawyer E. Randol Schoenberg, grandson of the composer Arnold Schönberg, by an arbitration award five partially very significant Klimt paintings back that had been expropriated during the Nazi period the family. It was the painting Adele Bloch -Bauer I, Adele Bloch- Bauer II, Apple Tree, Buchenwald / birch forest and houses in Unterach. Austria had refused to return the photos for a long time.

Adele Bloch- Bauer II, 1912

Beechwood Forest, 1903

Houses in Unterach, 1916

The further fate of the five Klimt paintings

Against the judgment of the tribunal was not negotiated with Maria Altmann, despite their letters and their face meeting in the competent Ministry of the Klimt paintings. According to the Federal Minister Elisabeth Gehrer no legal basis for it had passed. This formalistic attitude did not affect the benefit of Austria.

Originally it had been her intention namely, according to statements by Maria Altmann to keep the images in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, where they, like Adele Bloch-Bauer requested in her will, would, after the death of her husband to arrive. The stubborn refusal of Austria to negotiate, let them change their intentions.

After the return of works of art that caught worldwide attention, asking for a loan from her lawyer was, however, a negative decision. In contrast, Maria Altmann offered the Austrian state to a right of first refusal. The artworks should have an estimated price of $ 300 million, about 250 million euros.

The Director of the Austrian Gallery, Gerbert Frodl, searching for patrons, who should purchase the painting and make available to the state. However, a sale directly to sponsors graduated from the lawyer Maria Altmann. According to Altmann's request, the images should be accessible even after a sale to the public, which is why she preferred museums and galleries as a buyer. On 2 February 2006, the Austrian government decided not to exercise its pre-emption. The pictures were taken on 14 February 2006 from the depot of the Austrian Gallery in Los Angeles.

" Golden Adele "

In June 2006, the American entrepreneur and philanthropist Ronald S. Lauder acquired for he founded the Neue Galerie in Manhattan, New York, the most famous of the five images, the " Adele Bloch -Bauer I ", also known as the "Golden Adele ". He paid according to the New York Times $ 135 million ( 106.7 million euros), to date the highest price paid for a painting.

Auction in New York

On 8 November 2006 Klimt paintings were also the remaining four restituted at one of the major art auctions in New York by the auction house Christie's, in the presence of Maria Altmann for auction. Here the painting " Adele Bloch- Bauer II " scored, painted by Klimt in 1912, $ 87.936 million ( 68.8 million euros ) including surcharges. It was bought by an anonymous bidder by telephone. These were to the fifth- highest price ever paid for a painting.

" Apple Tree I", created in 1912, around which a competition arose between several phone bidders at the auction yielded $ 40,336,000 ( 31.6 million euros ). " Buchenwald / birch forest ", 1903, was bought for $ 33.056 million ( 25.9 million euros ). " Houses in Unterach ", originated around 1916, auctioned a lady in the hall to $ 31.376 million ( 24.6 million euros ). The buyer remained anonymous, the desire Maria Altmann that the works should be made available to the public, was initially met only by Ronald Lauder.

The restitution of their shares

In an unnamed Zurich bank her family deposited a share package of the Austrian sugar industry AG ( ÖZAG ), which had to be sold to Nazi pressure far below market value to the investor Clemens Auer. With $ 21.9 million she and other heirs of Ferdinand Bloch -Bauer family, and Otto Pick was the single largest restitution awarded from the Swiss bank settlement by the competent New York Federal Judge Edward Korman. The so-called " Claims Resolution Tribunal " has so well paid $ 254 million to eligible account holders.

Film

2006, the documentary " The affair Klimt " appeared (OT " Stealing Klimt " - Directed by Jane Chablani, screenplay by Martin Smith - production " Films of Record", UK, 89 ' 52 " min) in the time witnesses as Maria Altmann, Hubertus Czernin Tina Walzer, Jonathan Petropolous, Willy Korte and Randy Schoenberg to speak out and traces the history of restitution.