Important Victory Over Fascism's Rape of Europa 70 Years in the Making: A Story About More than Art Restiutution

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2015)

In 1907, early-modern painter Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) created the first of two portraits of a beautiful Viennese Jewish woman, Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925). The painting on canvas incorporates both oil and gold leaf giving the work a beautiful sparkle when seen in person, almost like a large golden jewel. The painting incorporates traditional representation and abstract elements. While the upper part of the woman is certainly discernible, i.e. face, neck, breast, and hands, the rest of the painting reflects both the Art Nouveau and modernist style coming into vogue in the 20th century. Ancient Egyptian-like eyes adorn her golden dress towards the bottom, and geometric patterns surround her face. Although the official name of the painting is simply "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" by Gustav Klimt, it has been nicknamed "Woman in Gold" and regarded as the Mona Lisa of Austria.
The Klimt portrait has a violent and horrific history. In the early 20th century, the family of Adele Bloch-Bauer was a prominent Viennese family making their wealth through commerce, and the painting hung majestically in their lavish apartments. Tragically, Adele Bloch-Bauer died young in 1925 and had requested her two portraits be donated to the Austrian State Museum upon the death of her husband. Of course, she had no idea the scourge of fascist ideology would overtake her country only 10 years later. In 1938, the sitter's widower was compelled to flee Vienna when the German Reich annexed Austria. Although he escaped, dying in 1945, he was forced to leave behind his art collection including "Woman in Gold" and four additional Klimt paintings which were confiscated by the Nazis. The Klimt paintings would then reside in the Austrian State Gallery for the next half century.
The story of the film begins in the 1990's. The niece of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Maria Altmann (played by Helen Mirren in an Academy-Award caliber performance), a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany now living in Los Angeles, has become aware of recent stories of so-called "art restitution", the reuniting of pilfered art to rightful ownership. Most of the restitution stories center on art plundered by the German Nazis in the 1930's and early 1940's, which, by some estimates, number in the 100,000's. She solicits the help of fairly green lawyer Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), who, although born in America, has Austrian ancestry. In fact, he's the grandson of early-modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg who was also forced to flee Austria in the 1930's not only because of his Jewish background but because of his use of 12-tone serialism in his compositions, regarded as "degenerate music" by the Nazis.
Altmann and Schoenberg become a team resolved to reclaim through the legal process the Klimt paintings stolen by the Nazis, including and most importantly "Woman in Gold". Their first step is to bring their case to the Art Restitution Board run by the powers-that-be of the state-run museums in Austria. Reluctantly, Altmann agrees to fly to Vienna with Schoenberg, the first time she has returned to the city of her youth. At first they seem to have a strong case. During their stay, the team of Altmann-Schoenberg find the documents of Bloch-Bauer regarding the paintings. It's not really a will in the legal sense, just a kind of "wish". The real will is that of Adele's widower, Ferdinand Block-Blauer, who names his heirs as his nieces, one of which is Maria Altmann.
However, the plaintiffs suspect the museum doesn't want to give up the paintings without a fight. The board rejects their case, citing as legal grounds that the sitter of "Woman in Gold", Adele Bloch-Bauer, had consented to donate the portraits to Austria. The Austrian government further believes they have legal claim to the paintings because of the surviving documents, in this case the document written by Adele. Of course, being of Jewish origin and given the events which would transpire 10 years after her death, the plaintiffs are convinced Adele, had she lived, would have retracted such an offer. Also, it's a minor miracle the paintings survive at all, considering much of this kind of art was regarded as "degenerate" by the Nazis. They can sue the Austrian Museums in Vienna, but the legal costs would be astronomical. They seem to have lost. Then, just before they leave Vienna, the two visit the Holocaust Memorial. Schoenberg has an experience which becomes a turning point in the film, and he resolves to continue the fight. If they have any chance of succeeding, they need to find another means aside from directly suing the government in Austria.
The film chronicles the plaintiff's continued legal battle to restore the Klimt paintings to their rightful heir, Maria Altmann. The Austrian government wanted to keep the Klimt paintings in Austria, in part because of its iconic nature. While they had an argument because of the importance of iconic art residing in countries of origin, there were greater issues involved. This case was not just about art; it was about justice, and the way the film plays out, the museum's argument dismisses fundamental issues about injustice.
Three-quarters of a century ago, some extremists overtook the governments of Germany and Austria, led by one Adolph Hitler. They put into place rules which made Hitler absolute and unquestioned ruler. He decided that particular law-abiding legal residences of Germany and Austria had no legal rights only because they were of certain ethnic and religious origins. These people's lives were destroyed, being forced either to abandon their homes or forced into concentration and death camps. Some of these people owned wonderful art collections, and these were "legally" but wrongfully confiscated by the fascist regime. Nothing will make up for these losses. However, we as a civilized culture have a moral obligation to make restitution of the objects lost by living heirs. The restitution of art is not just about whether a piece of art belongs in a museum. It's about a statement against the wrongs of fascism.