Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer
“For we are God’s masterpiece.”
—Ephesians 2:10
Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer is one of the most admired portraits of all time, and it's easy to see why.
Klimt immortalizes this intriguing woman in a luminous aura of gold leaf. He employs intricate patterns, shapes, and swirls to reflect her elegance, sophistication, and mystery. The overall impact is that we find ourselves willingly transfixed by her gently royal gaze.
Actually, though, Adele was not royalty. While she was certainly a prominent figure in Austrian society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she was nevertheless an "ordinary" woman.
Or was she? Like every precious human being created in the image of God, Adele beautifully reflects the royal image of our Creator. Moreover, no matter how "ordinary" a person might seem, all we who are in Christ are God's masterpieces (Ephesians 2:10).
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer — Gustav Klimt | between 1903-1907
This painting's history yields still more intrigue. The portrait first became widely known by an entirely different name: Woman in Gold. That's because Adele Bloch-Bauer was Jewish, and the Nazis were all too eager to erase that fact. Adele's family lived on to see the terrifying rise of the Third Reich in Austria. When the Nazis inevitably targeted the Bloch-Bauer family, they took a special interest in their art collection. Ultimately, the Nazis seized Adele's portrait as their own. Of course, it wouldn't do for Nazi art to shine a spotlight on a Jewish lady luminary! So they erased her identity and branded it with the generic title, Woman in Gold. In time, Woman in Gold became one of Austria's most prized works of art—even a symbol of national pride.
Roughly eighty years later, however, Adele's descendants sought to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Her family, represented by her niece Maria Altmann, successfully recovered the painting in 2006. After a lengthy legal battle culminating in a U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Austrian government agreed to return the painting to Altmann and her family. In the process, Adele's name and Jewish identity were finally publicly restored to her masterpiece.
It strikes me that, in so many ways, many LBGTQ+/SSA Christ-followers who uphold the traditional sexual ethic have had similar experiences. Maybe you are among those who have heard the legalistic whispers: So you want to be God's masterpiece? Well, then, you must not "say gay." You must not reveal your same-sex attractions. You must not clue people into this hidden aspect of your experience. Because if you do, it will ruin the masterpiece.
What utter nonsense. What I know for sure is that you are more beautiful precisely because you are bringing the fullness of your experience before God and community. You are more magnificent because you are willing to admit and surrender every aspect of who you are to Christ, both your weakness and strength, in unabashed authenticity and obedience. For that, you are a model for all believers. It's exactly for these reasons that the glory of Christ can shine in and through you even more brightly.
So, where is Adele now? In 2006, the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer was sold to Ronald Lauder, heir to the Estée Lauder fortune, for a record-breaking price. Now that's what I'm talking about!
In a similar way, my prayer is that your eyes would be opened to your royal status and your record-breaking value. You, my openly same-sex attracted friend, are a masterpiece of immeasurable price in the Kingdom of God!
