The woman in gold, and the family behind the frame

In 1938 the Nazis seized five paintings by Gustav Klimt from the Bloch-Bauer family. The portrait of Adele later became a celebrated museum image in Vienna, while her family fought to recover its property.

Maria Altmann pursued the claim across jurisdictions. The United States Supreme Court decision in 2004 concerned whether Austria could be sued; it did not itself order the paintings returned.

An Austrian arbitration ruling in January 2006 required restitution of the five works. The portrait was subsequently acquired for Neue Galerie New York. Its return emerged from that arbitration, rather than a simple discovery of a lost picture.