The Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O'Connor

The movie is titled Woman in Gold.  But first came the book, The Lady in Gold, by journalist Anne-Marie O'Connor. Both titles refer to Gustav Klimt's iconic 1907 portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.  This work was the first of two paintings of the artist's lady friend and patron. Some Austrians consider it the equivalent of their Mona Lisa. When Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938 the Bloch-Bauer properties - including five Klimt paintings - were confiscated by the Nazi state. Family members were sent to concentration camps. It was not until six decades later that surviving relatives were able to seek restitution. After years of legal wrangling, the five paintings were returned in 2006. The chief crusader in this victory was Maria Altmann, the niece of Adele Bloch-Bauer.

O'Connor's book offers an excellent background on Jewish life in turn of the century Vienna. She profiles the Bloch-Bauer family members, their fortunes and individual fates. And she takes time to detail the many complications of a restitution argument and how the case was won.

The Lady in Gold, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, sold in 2006 for $135 million.