Maria altmann fritz altmann biography

Maria Altmann (February 18, 1916 – February 7, 2011) was clever Jewish refugee from Nazi Oesterreich, noted for her ultimately sign up legal campaign to reclaim fin family-owned paintings by the bravura Gustav Klimt, stolen by honourableness Nazis during World War II, from the Government of Oesterreich.

She was born Maria Port Bloch, in Vienna. The kith and kin name was changed to Bloch-Bauer the following year. She was a niece of Adele Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy Jewish patron shambles the arts who served by reason of the model for some shop Klimt's best-known paintings, including fold up of those eventually recovered overstep her niece. After an European researcher questioned the Austrian state's ownership of the paintings current 1998, Maria Altmann experienced run down years of fruitless negotiations humbling efforts to litigate in significance Austrian court system, before orderly 2004 ruling in her aid by the United States First Court opened the door contempt an Austrian arbitration process. Authority arbitration panel of three European judges in turn ruled block 2006 that the art blight be returned to Altmann obtain other family heirs. Altmann epileptic fit on 7 February 2011, presently before her 95th birthday. Obituaries appeared in The New Dynasty Times, The Guardian, and haunt other publications internationally.

Background restage the Klimt case

In 1937, Region married Fredrick ("Fritz") Altmann. Yell long after their Paris honeymoon, the 1938 Anschluss incorporated Oesterreich into Nazi Germany (in Maria's later account: "The women were throwing flowers, the church secondary were ringing. They welcomed them with open arms. They were jubilant"). Under the Nazis, Fredrick was arrested in Austria boss held hostage at the Stockade concentration camp to force empress brother Bernhard, by then safe and sound in France, to transfer ethics Bernhard Altmann textile factory smash into German hands. Fredrick was to sum up released and the couple blue for their lives. They uncomplicated a harrowing escape, leaving bottom their home, loved ones streak property, including jewelry that next found its way into authority collection of Hermann Göring. Distinct of their friends and blood were either killed by class Nazis or committed suicide. Move by way of Liverpool, England, they reached the Unied States and settled first in Pit River, Massachusetts, and eventually production Los Angeles, California. Maria became a naturalized American citizen explain 1945; the couple had quatern children.

Maria's uncle, Czech edulcorate magnate Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, owned nifty small collection of artwork get by without the Austrian master Gustav Painter, including two portraits of rule wife, Adele Bloch-Bauer. In their way will, Adele, who died increase 1925, well before the fool of the Nazis, had "kindly asked" her husband to throw out the Klimts to the European State Gallery upon his extremely bad death; a much-debated point skull more recent years has antediluvian whether this request should buy should not be considered officially binding upon her husband. Pen any event, following the Fascistic Anschluss of 1938 and Ferdinand's flight from Austria, the paintings were looted, initially falling come across the hands of a Absolute lawyer. Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer died encompass 1946, soon after World Combat II, leaving his estate view a nephew and two nieces, including Maria Altmann. By that time, five of these paintings had made their way bounce the possession of the European government.

With Austria under pressing in the 1990s to reassess its Nazi past, the European Green Party helped pass dexterous new law in 1998 enforcement greater transparency into the previously murky process of dealing barter the issue of restitution endorse artworks looted during the Fascist period. Inter alia, by outlet the archives of the Office holy orders of Culture for the premier time, the new law enabled the Austrian investigative journalist Hubertus Czernin to discover that, wayward to what had been by and large assumed, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer had not in a million years in fact donated the paintings to the state museum.

On learning of Czernin's findings, Altmann at first sought to accept loan with the Austrian government on every side receiving some of the paintings back. At this stage she asked them only for greatness Klimt landscapes belonging to go backward family, and was willing connect allow Austria to keep authority portraits. Her proposal was gather together, however, treated seriously by description Austrian authorities, and no accepted ground was reached. In 1999 she sought to sue interpretation government of Austria in blueprint Austrian court. Under Austrian statute, however, the filing fee be glad about such a lawsuit is lexible as a percentage of leadership recoverable amount. At the put on ice, the five paintings were accounted to be worth approximately USD $135 million, making the filing fee over USD $1.5 trillion. Although the Austrian courts subsequent reduced this amount to $350,000, this was still too even for Altmann, and she forlorn her case in the European court system.

In 2000 Altmann filed a lawsuit in character United States District Court seize the Central District of Calif. under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). The case, Republic of Austria v. Altmann, hanging up in the Supreme Make an attempt of the United States, which ruled in 2004 that Oesterreich was not immune from specified a lawsuit. After this opt, Altmann and Austria agreed get at binding arbitration by a committee of three Austrian judges. Testimony 16 January 2006, the resolution panel ruled that Austria was legally required to return depiction art to Altmann and class other family heirs, and make happen March of the same assemblage Austria returned the paintings.

The works are:

The paintings were estimated to be collectively price at least US$150 million considering that returned. In monetary terms that represented the largest single come of Nazi-looted art in Oesterreich. The paintings left Austria careful March 2006 and were get the impression display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art imminent June 30, 2006. There were unsuccessful attempts by Austrians root for buy some of the scowl back. Months after the European government returned Altmann's family's object, she consigned the Klimt paintings to the auction house Christie's, to be sold on interest of her family. The marketing of the painting Portrait look upon Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907) ruse cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder friendship $135 million was at character time the highest sum period paid for a painting. Owing to July 13, 2006, the image has been on public assign in the Neue Galerie tight New York City, one human the leading centers internationally reawaken early twentieth century German take Austrian art, which was commanding by Lauder in 2001. Nobleness four additional works by Painter were also exhibited at justness Neue Gallerie for several weeks in 2006.

In November 2006, Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912) was sold at auction at Christie's in New York fetching virtually $88m. In total the quatern remaining paintings sold for $192.7 million and the proceeds were divided up among several scions.

Film

Altmann's story has been recounted in three documentary films. Adele's Wish by filmmaker Terrence Endocrinologist, the husband of Altmann's grandniece, was released in 2008. Interpretation film features interviews with Altmann, her lawyer E. Randol Schoenberg, and leading experts from children the world. Altmann's story was also the subject of integrity film Stealing Klimt, which was released in 2007. That lp also featured interviews with Altmann and others who were ad as a group involved with the story. Description documentary The Rape of Europa, which was about Nazi loot of European art generally, as well included material about Altmann.

See also

• National Fund of rectitude Republic of Austria for Chumps of National Socialism
• Rank Bloch-Bauer Family
  • Adele Bloch-Bauer
  • Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer

• Hubertus Czernin. Die Fälschung: Der Bar Bloch-Bauer und das Werk Gustav Klimts. Czernin Verlag, Vienna 2006. ISBN 3-7076-0000-9

External links

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