Klimt paintings removed after threat

An Austrian museum has taken down five works by Gustav Klimt after a man threatened to destroy the paintings in order to prevent them from being returned to a California woman.

Austria had agreed Jan. 16 to abide by an arbitration court ruling to give up ownership of the art nouveau paintings to Maria Altmann, who says they were taken from her family by the Nazis when they took over Austria in 1938.  Altmann’s father, a wealthy Jewish industrialist, was driven from Austria and stripped of his property.

The Los Angeles Times reports Altmann’s lawyer, Randol Schoenberg, received an e-mail this week from someone planning to destroy the art.  The writer objected to the idea the Austrian government might use public funds to buy back the paintings from Atlmann. Schoenberg forwarded the e-mail to the country's Interior Ministry and museum officials.

The five paintings include Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, one of the artist's celebrated "gold" paintings, and are estimated to be worth more than $100 million euros ($140 million).

The Belvedere Museum had held the paintings for more than 50 years. Austria’s culture minister, Elisabeth Gehrer, said her government was exploring ways of keeping two of the paintings, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II in the country.  Gehrer ruled out buying the paintings.

Police arrested a 50-year-old man later Friday after tracking him down through an internet provider.   Rudolf Gollia of Austria’s Interior Ministry said the man admitted to sending the threats.

"Now that the immediate threat for the paintings has been eliminated, it is up to the museum to decide whether the paintings will be exhibited again," said Gollia.

Schoenberg said he hoped the museum would rethink its security measures before putting up the paintings.