Adele Bloch-Bauer 2012 | 50 Euro | Gold coin

Series Klimt and his women

The gold coin "Adele Bloch-Bauer" shows one of Klimt's most famous portraits of a woman and marks the start of the innovative series "Klimt and his women".

Whatever fascinated Klimt about the then 26-year-old, he captured in the work known as "The Golden Adele" - and this adorns the first coin in the series. Rich and cosmopolitan, Adele Bloch-Bauer, one of the most famous women of the turn of the century, promoted Klimt unwaveringly - despite his ostracism in traditional social circles. Her portrait was intended as a gift to her parents, but Klimt worked for four years on this square oil painting with numerous editions of gold and silver leaf. It was not completed for the intended occasion, but made art history as "Golden Adele" and was sold in 2006 as part of the restitution for 135 million US dollars - the highest selling price for a work of art at the time.

Text courtesy of the Austrian Mint.