The Golden Lady

Austria, 1907. A painting, later called "The Golden Lady", of Adele Bloch-Bauer, painted by Klimt

Despite the will of Ferdinand, Adèle's husband, indicating his wish to make his nephew and nieces the legitimate heirs, the painting ended up in the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, confiscated by the Nazis during the Second World War.

In 1998, Randy Schoenberg, a lawyer, met Adele's niece, Maria Altmann, who asked him to help her recover five paintings belonging to her family, including "The Golden Lady" valued at between 150 and 200 million euros!

Austria does not intend to return this masterpiece.

The legal battle can now begin. Maria Altmann's fight becomes that of her lawyer, who will take all the necessary steps to ensure that justice is done.

The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court in 2004, which waived Austria's legal immunity. Maria Altmann finally won her case in an independent arbitration in Austria. Five of the looted paintings were returned to her in Los Angeles in 2006.

This story brilliantly demonstrates the role of the lawyer and his involvement in a case: his rigour, his pugnacity and his humanity.

And it cannot do it alone! A trusting collaboration between a client and its consultant remains the key to success.

Cécile Zakine's firm remains at your side for a rigorous and human accompaniment because whatever the case, the litigant needs justice.

And if you fly to New York, head to the Neue Galerie to see the masterpiece...