Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

The Story

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, a masterpiece by Gustav Klimt known for his Christian symbolism and gold-leaf technique in the Art Nouveau style, sold for $135 million at a 2006 Christie's auction, drawing worldwide attention. This work is a representative figure painting in which Klimt expressed human identity and emotion through golden ornamentation across the canvas, clearly showing the influence his style had on the European art world of the time. Klimt was active from the late 19th to the early 20th century, and with his original style fusing art, theology, and philosophy, became a turning point for modern art. This work, recording one of the highest prices in auction history, is widely known as an example combining artistic value with historical significance.