The story is full of intrigue and mystery, genius and deception, beauty and despair. The drama begins in Fin-de-Siècle Vienna, travels to Los Angeles, visits our Supreme Court and ends in New York City. Using Anne-Marie O’Connor’s superb book, The Lady in Gold, and the currently showing movie, Woman in Gold, David will unravel for us the culture and hypocrisy of Vienna all the while appreciating the art of Gustav Klimt and the spellbinding tale of his portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. The painting became an emblematic portrait of its time.   She was the beautiful, seductive Jewish, Viennese salon hostess; he was the notorious artist in now-vanished end-of-the-century Vienna.  We will tease apart the twisted fate that befell both and then, with spirited discussion, compare the book to the movie and discuss, together, the ethics, morality and challenges of the restitution of stolen art. Highly recommended: see the movie at the Nugget Theater prior to the lecture!

Sponsored by OSHER@Dartmouth. Pre-register by visiting our website, or call (603) 646-0154. Admission is $10.00; FREE AT THE DOOR WITH DARTMOUTH ID.

DAVID BISNO, MD,  a retired ophthalmologist with degrees from Harvard, Dartmouth and the Washington University School of Medicine, has been an enthusiastic lecturer and discussion leader on a myriad of topics for the past 22 years within institutes for lifelong learning here in Hanover, across our country and overseas.   He has discussed the Lady in Gold with students in Hanover, on Cape Cod, beside Buzzard’s Bay,  in Williamsburg, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.  The fact that the movie, starring Helen Mirren at her best, has just been released adds new energy to the present discussion.