''Stealing Klimt'' is a 2007 documentary film about

Maria Altmann Maria Altmann (née Maria Victoria Bloch, later Bloch-Bauer; February 18, 1916 – February 7, 2011) was an Austrian-American Jewish refugee from Austria, who fled her home country after it was annexed to the Third Reich. She is noted for her ul ...

's attempt to recover five

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...

paintings stolen from her family by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

in 1938, from Austria.http://www.stealingklimt.com ''The Stealing Klimt Story'' from the ''Stealing Klimt'' DVD. It formed the inspiration for the 2015 movie, '' Woman in Gold'' and received a credit to that effect ("Inspired by the documentary, ''Stealing Klimt''"). The paintings included ''

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I ''Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I'' (also called ''The Lady in Gold'' or ''The Woman in Gold'') is a painting by Gustav Klimt, completed between 1903 and 1907. The portrait was commissioned by the sitter's husband, , a Jewish banker and sugar ...

'', the portrait of Altmann's aunt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, which had been renamed the ''Woman in Gold''. ''Stealing Klimt'' recounts Altmann's youth in early 20th century Vienna, her escape from the Nazis and her struggle to recover the five paintings. Altmann selected Randol Schoenberg, a Californian lawyer with an Austrian background, to represent her in her legal quest to recover the five Klimts. Altmann and Schoenberg were assisted by

Hubertus Czernin Hubertus Czernin (born Hubertus Alexander Felix Franz Maria Czernin von und zu Chudenitz; 17 January 1956 – 10 June 2006) was an Austrian investigative journalist. Born in Vienna on 17 January 1956 to Felix Theobald Paul Anton Maria Reichsgra ...

, an Austrian journalist who had previously investigated and revealed the World War II activities of Kurt Waldheim, former

President of Austria The president of Austria (german: Bundespräsident der Republik Österreich) is the head of state of the Republic of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the Constitution, in practice the president is largely a ceremonial ...

and

UN Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of the Un ...

. Altmann's legal battle eventually ended up in the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

where she had to face not only Austria but also the US State Department. The US Supreme Court gave jurisdiction over Austria and an Austrian arbitration panel then decided that the five paintings belonged to her. Ronald Lauder paid $135 million for the ''Woman in Gold'' to hang in his Neue Galerie in New York. The other paintings were sold through

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

to private buyers.

References

External links

* * 2007 films Art and cultural repatriation after World War II Holocaust films Gustav Klimt 2000s English-language films {{hist-documentary-film-stub