Skip to content
ArtCentral
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt
Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain (file)

Symbolism and Art Nouveau

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

by Gustav Klimt, 1907

Neue Galerie New York, New York

Artist
Gustav Klimt
Date
1907
Medium
Oil, silver and gold on canvas
Size
138 × 162 cm (54.3 × 63.8 in)
Period
Symbolism and Art Nouveau

What you are looking at

Adele Bloch-Bauer, a Viennese society hostess, sits almost swallowed by a shimmering field of gold and silver patterns, with only her face, shoulders and hands painted naturally.

Why it is famous

Klimt finished it in 1907, at the height of his Golden Period. The Nazis seized it from the Bloch-Bauer family. After a long legal fight, Adele's niece Maria Altmann won it back from Austria in 2006, and it was bought for the Neue Galerie in New York. The story was told in the film Woman in Gold (2015).

How big is Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I?

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I measures 138 × 162 cm (54.3 × 63.8 in), without its frame. Its surface is about 5 times the area of the Mona Lisa.

1.7 mPortrait of Adele Bloch-B...Mona Lisa
Drawn to scale next to a person 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) tall, with the bottom of each painting at floor level. Frames are not included.

Compare it with other paintings

Where to see it

It is the centerpiece of the Neue Galerie on Fifth Avenue in New York, a museum of German and Austrian art.

Neue Galerie New YorkNew York, United States
Museum website

Museums move and lend paintings. Check the museum's website before you travel to see one work. See all famous paintings in New York.

More by Gustav Klimt

All Gustav Klimt paintings

Frequently asked questions

Who painted Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I?

Gustav Klimt painted Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I in 1907.

Where is the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I?

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is in the Neue Galerie New York, New York, United States.

How big is Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I?

138 × 162 cm (54.3 × 63.8 in). Its surface is about 5 times the area of the Mona Lisa.

What is Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I made with?

Oil, silver and gold on canvas.

Sources: Wikidata Q354396; Wikipedia, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I". Checked October 17, 2026. How we check.

Painting of the week

A famous painting every week

One painting a week: what to look for, the story behind it and where to see it.

It costs nothing, you can stop any time, and nobody else gets your email. Your privacy.