Returned Klimts to Be Sold at Christies
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New York Times - United States
Returned Klimts to Be Sold at Christies
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By CAROL VOGEL
Published: August 7, 2006
Four of five paintings by Gustav Klimt that were at the center of a
much-publicized restitution battle will be heading to ChristieÕs for
sale
this fall, Marc Porter, president of ChristieÕs confirmed yesterday.
Whether
the works will be auctioned or sold privately has yet to be determined,
he
said.
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Neue Galerie, New York
Houses at Unterach on the Attersee,ÕÕ painted by Klimt around 1916 in
the
country near Salzburg.
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Neue Galerie, New York
Adele Bloch-Bauer IIÕÕ (1912). Adele I sold for $135 million.
Neue Galerie, New York
Klimt Birch Forest(1903), one of four to be sold.
Experts say the four paintings Ñ three landscapes and a portrait executed
between 1903 and 1916 Ñ are worth about $100 million.
The five Klimts were handed over by Austria in January to Maria Altmann
of
Los Angeles, the niece of the original owners in Vienna, and other
family
members. The paintings came from the collection of the Jewish sugar
industrialist Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer and his wife, Adele. An arbitration
court had ruled that they were improperly seized when the Nazis took
over
the country.
In June the cosmetics executive Ronald S. Lauder purchased the most
renowned
of the five, a gold-flecked portrait of Mrs. Bloch-Bauer from 1907,
for the
Neue Galerie in Manhattan for $135 million. It is the highest price
known to
have been paid for a painting, eclipsing the $104.1 million paid for
PicassoÕs 1905 ÒBoy With a Pipe (The Young Apprentice)ÕÕ in an auction
at
SothebyÕs in 2004.
All five Klimts are currently on view at the Neue and have been attracting
large crowds. ÒNone of us is in a position to keep them,ÕÕ Mrs. Altmann
said
in a telephone interview from her home in Los Angeles.
For months now, said Steven Thomas, the lawyer representing the Bloch-Bauer
heirs, both ChristieÕs and its archrival SothebyÕs have been making
overtures to Mrs. Altmann and her relatives about selling the paintings.
But
it was only in the last few weeks that the negotiations really heated
up.
ÒIt was actually competitive to the end,ÕÕ Mr. Thomas said. The final
decision was based primarily on relationships, he added: Stephen S.
Lash,
chairman of ChristieÕs in America, grew up in Fall River, Mass., where
Mrs.
Altmann and husband lived in the early 1940Õs. Mr. Lash has been in
constant
touch with Mrs. Altmann since she initiated the efforts to recover
the
paintings. And ChristieÕs had been enlisted by Mr. Lauder to help him
negotiate the purchase of ÒAdele Bloch-Bauer I.ÕÕ
For most of the last 60 years the paintings had hung in the Austrian
Gallery
of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna near ÒThe Kiss,ÕÕ another lustrous
gold-flecked Klimt masterpiece of the Art Nouveau era.
The Nazis seized them from one of the Bloch-BauersÕ palaces in Vienna.
They
had been hanging in a bedroom that Mr. Bloch-Bauer had turned into
a kind of
shrine to his wife after she died of meningitis in 1925. ÒHe took the
bed
out, and there were always fresh flowers,ÕÕ Mrs. Altmann recalled.
She said she traveled to Vienna this summer to see the house, where
she had
spent much time in her youth. ÒIt was not recognizable,ÕÕ she said.
ÒIt no
longer had the look of a palace, now its just a house of business.
I went in
and tried to find the bedroom, but I couldnÕt find anything that reminded
me
of a bedroom.ÕÕ
Since Mr. Lauder announced he had bought ÒAdele Bloch-Bauer IÕÕ for
the Neue
Galerie, which he helped to found five years ago, there has been speculation
that he might buy the other paintings. On Friday he said in a telephone
interview that he would consider purchasing one or more Òif the price
is
right.ÕÕ
ÒTheyÕre all great pictures,ÕÕ Mr. Lauder added. ÒEach one would have
something to add to the Neue GalerieÕs collection. But if the buyer
is not
the Neue Galerie, I hope they will end up in other museums.ÕÕ
Asked which he would most like to buy, Mr. Lauder replied, ÒAdele
Bloch-Bauer II,ÕÕ a later (1912) and far different portrait of the
Viennese
salon hostess. In ÒAdele Bloch-Bauer IÕÕ she is depicted in a regal
setting,
clad in an exotic richly patterned gold gown and posed against a tapestry
of
gold decorations.
In the 1912 portrait she wears fashionable street clothes, including
a
wide-brimmed hat, and stands before a brightly colored floral background.
Japanese motifs like warrior horses appear in the rear top portion
of the
canvas.
Art historians and chroniclers of Vienna society in the early 20th century
have long suspected that Klimt and Mrs. Bloch-Bauer were lovers. This
theory
is shared by Mrs. Altmann, who remembers her aunt well, although she
was
just 9 when Mrs. Bloch-Bauer died. Klimt made hundreds of preparatory
drawings of Mrs. Bloch-Bauer for the portraits.
Mrs. Altmann said she doubted that the brightly colored dress in the
1912
portrait was really her auntÕs. ÒShe never dressed loudly,ÕÕ she said.
ÒI
always remember her wearing long, simple white dresses and holding
a gold
cigarette holder. I donÕt remember anything like the dress in the picture.ÕÕ
Mrs. Altmann said she had no particular favorite among the Klimt paintings.
ÒWhen you grow up with something, you are so used to it,ÕÕ she said.
ÒThere
were so many other beautiful things in the house, like porcelains,
furniture
and other paintings. I personally love the landscapes.ÕÕ
The earliest, ÒBirch ForestÕÕ from 1903, is an Austrian landscape rendered
in rich autumnal colors. ÒItÕs quite an intense picture,ÕÕ said Guy
Bennett,
head of Impressionist and modern paintings at ChristieÕs in New York,
Òand
one of the few wood scenes Klimt painted.Ó He added that it is Òcomparable
in quality to another of his landscapes,Ó hanging in the Moderne Galerie
in
Dresden.
Another landscape, ÒApple Tree IÕÕ (circa 1912), shows the tree in full
flower in shimmering pinks and reds, its branches spread wide: for
Klimt, a
symbol of the tree of life.
The remaining landscape, ÒHouses at Unterach on the Attersee,ÕÕ was
painted
around 1916 on the south shore of a resort town on a lake in the countryside
east of Salzburg where Klimt spent the summers of 1914, 1915 and 1916.
A
portion of the town is shown from across the lake, in a style influenced
by
CŽzanneÕs geometric renderings of Mont Sainte-Victoire.
Mrs. Altmann said it did not matter to her whether ChristieÕs arranges
an
auction or private sales of the Klimts, which remain on view at the
Neue
Galerie through Sept. 18. ÒIÕve never been to an auction, so I think
it
would be exciting,ÕÕ she said.
ÒIÕm simply hoping for the best,ÕÕ she added. ÒSo far fate has been
very
good to me.ÕÕ
Klimt Paintings Nazis Stole to Be Sold
Monday August 7, 2006 6:46 PM
AP Photo NYR104
NEW YORK (AP) - Four of five oil paintings by Gustav Klimt that were the focus of a restitution battle between the Austrian government and the artworks' Jewish heirs will be heading to Christie's for sale this fall, the auction house announced Monday.
Christie's has not determined whether the works - three landscapes and a portrait worth an estimated $100 million - will be auctioned or sold privately, said Steven Thomas, the Los Angeles attorney who represents the heirs.
``The family only recently decided to go ahead and sell the four paintings,'' Thomas said. ``It's quite possible some or all of them will go to auction in November.''
The four paintings are currently on display at the Neue Galerie, a New York museum of German and Austrian art, along with one of Klimt's most famous works, an ornate portrait of Viennese art patron Adele Bloch-Bauer from 1907.
The five Klimts were handed over by Austria in January to Maria Altmann of Los Angeles, Bloch-Bauer's niece, and other family members following a seven-year legal battle. An arbitration court had ruled that they were improperly seized when the Nazis took over the country during World War II.
The paintings temporarily went on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from April to June, when cosmetics mogul Ronald S. Lauder purchased the gold-flecked portrait of Bloch-Bauer for a reported $135 million, topping the previous listed world art record of $104.2 million for a Picasso.
The other portrait to be sold at Christie's is a lesser-known, colorful portrait of Bloch-Bauer executed between 1903 and 1916.
Asked why the Bloch-Bauer heirs were selling the paintings after fighting for years to get them, Thomas said, ``The family worked very hard to get back what had been stolen from them. These paintings are extremely valuable and require lots of security, and none of the heirs are in a position to keep the paintings, as much as they might want to.''
Lauder, the co-founder of the Neue Galerie, was out of the country and not available for comment on Monday.
He told The New York Times in Monday editions that he would consider purchasing one or more of the available paintings ``if the price is right.''
``They're all great pictures,'' Lauder said. ``Each one would have something to add to the Neue Galerie's collection. But if the buyer is not the Neue Galerie, I hope they will end up in other museums.''
Altmann said it did not matter to her whether Christie's arranges an auction or private sales of the Klimts.
``I've never been to an auction, so I think it would be exciting,'' Altmann said. ``I'm simply hoping for the best. So far fate has been very good to me.''
---
On the Net:
www.christies.com
Christie's Will Seek Private Buyers for 4 Klimt Paintings
Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Christie's International said it will advise heirs
of
a Nazi victim on a private sale of four Gustav Klimt paintings, including
a
portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, a Viennese art patron and wife of a
Jewish
sugar industrialist.
The four paintings have been valued at as much as $140 million by art
experts including Richard L. Feigen, a New York dealer. The cosmetics
magnate Ronald S. Lauder bought a fifth Klimt work recovered by the
heirs
and known as ``Golden Adele,'' for $135 million in June. It is on display
at
New York's Neue Galerie, which Lauder co-founded.
London-based Christie's, which is owned by the French billionaire Francois
Pinault, has set top prices for many German and Austrian artists. In
November, it will offer Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's painting of a Berlin
street
scene, returned by the German city to heirs of a Jewish family who
owned it
before World War II, for as much as $25 million.
Christie's spokeswoman Catherine Manson said she couldn't yet confirm
an
estimated value for the four Klimt works, which include three landscape
pictures.
The world's largest auction house had sales of $3.2 billion in 2005,
an
increase of 38 percent from a year earlier.
The Bloch-Bauer paintings, stolen by the Nazis in 1938, previously hung
in
Vienna's Belvedere museum. They were restored in January to California's
Maria Altmann and other heirs after a court fight with the Austrian
government. Adele Bloch-Bauer may have been Klimt's mistress, said
the Neue
Galerie, which is showing all five Klimt works through Sept. 18.
Pricey Adele
Lauder's 1907 ``Adele Bloch-Bauer I,'' painted with gold in the background
and fabric of Adele's dress after Klimt saw Ravenna's Byzantine mosaics,
cost more than any painting sold at auction. Pablo Picasso's ``Dora
Maar au
Chat'' sold for $95.2 million in May in New York, about 9 percent less
than
a Picasso work that went for $104.2 million in 2004.
Klimt's auction record was set in 2003 when a landscape, ``Landhaus
am
Attersee,'' raised $29.1 million. A Klimt painting of birch trees sold
in
2004 for $3.7 million. Portraits usually command higher prices.
Klimt, who died in 1918, may be best known for ``The Kiss.'' He attended
Vienna's school of arts and crafts, and decorated some of the city's
public
buildings. Ornamental layouts, golden backgrounds and eroticism are
his
trademarks.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Linda Sandler in London at lsandler@bloomberg.net
Christie's verkauft Klimt-Bilder - Wert: 100 Mio. Dollar
zurŸck
Bloch-Bauer-Erbin Maria Altmann wird die vier verbliebenen Klimt-Bilder,
die
zusammen mit der "Goldenen Adele" ("Adele Bloch-Bauer 1") an sie restituiert
wurden, mit UnterstŸtzung des New Yorker Auktionshauses Christie's
verkaufen.
Die vier GemŠlde kommen insgesamt auf einen SchŠtzwert von 100 Millionen
Dollar (77,8 Mio. Euro), wie die "New York Times" heute berichtet.
Eine
Sprecherin von Christie's in Wien bestŠtigte diese Summe.
Mehr dazu in oesterreich.ORF.at
Art des Verkaufs offen
NŠhere Details zu Art und Zeitpunkt des Verkaufs, den das Auktionshaus
Christie's in New York organisieren wird, stŸnden noch nicht fest.
Die
Entscheidung, ob die Werke privat verkauft oder versteigert wŸrden,
werde
ausschlie§lich von der Erbin selbst getroffen, so die Sprecherin weiter.
In
der "New York Times" wird Altmann zitiert: "Ich war noch nie bei einer
Auktion und glaube, dass das aufregend wŠre."
Bis 18. September ausgestellt
Derzeit befinden sich die Bilder "Adele Bloch-Bauer 2", "HŠuser in
Unterach
am Attersee", "Buchenwald" und "Apfelbaum 1" in der New Yorker Neuen
Galerie, wo sie gemeinsam mit der von Ronald Lauder gekauften "Goldenen
Adele" noch bis 18. September prŠsentiert werden.
"Christie's wurde ausgewŠhlt, die Erben von Ferdinand und Adele Bloch-Bauer
beim Verkauf zu beraten", hei§t es in der Aussendung. Auch eine Auktion
schlie§t man bei Christie's in Wien nicht aus.
Klimt-Bilder
07.08.2006
Christie's als Verkaufsberater
Die "Goldene Adele" wurde bei Sotheby's um einen Rekordpreis versteigert.
FŸr die anderen vier Klimt-Bilder, die an die Bloch-Bauer-Erbin Maria
Altmann restituiert wurden, wird das New Yorker Auktionshaus Christie's
Verkaufsberater.
Privatverkauf wahrscheinlich
Das New Yorker Auktionshaus Christie's wird Maria Altmann beim Verkauf
der
verbliebenen vier Klimt-Bilder unterstŸtzen. Dies geht aus einer Aussendung
von Christie's hervor.
Ein Privatverkauf sei dabei wahrscheinlich, hie§ es auf Nachfrage bei
Christie's in Wien. Dort erwartet man Details auf Grund der Zeitverschiebung
zu den USA erst am frŸhen Nachmittag.
Kilmt derzeit in Ausstellung zu sehen
Derzeit befinden sich die Bilder "Adele Bloch-Bauer 2", "HŠuser in
Unterach
am Attersee", "Buchenwald" und "Apfelbaum 1" in der New Yorker Neuen
Galerie, wo sei gemeinsam mit der von Ronald Lauder gekauften "Goldenen
Adele" noch bis 18. September prŠsentiert werden.
Auktion nicht ausgeschlossen
"Christie's wurde ausgewŠhlt, die Erben von Ferdinand und Adele Bloch-Bauer
beim Verkauf zu beraten", hei§t es in der Aussendung. Auch eine Auktion
schlie§t man bei Christie's in Wien nicht aus.
wien.ORF.at; 19.6.06
Im Juni wurde die "Goldene Adele" versteigert. Der Ex-US-Botschafter
in
Wien, Ronald Lauder, hat die "Goldene Adele" um 107 Millionen Euro
gekauft.
So viel ist noch nie fŸr ein GemŠlde gezahlt worden.
"Goldene Adele" erreichte Rekordpreis