Portrait of an Unknown Woman: From a Stolen Klimt to a Literary Mystery

In 1910, Gustav Klimt painted a young woman, then painted over her portrait several years later. The painting was stolen from an Italian museum in 1997 and unexpectedly resurfaced more than two decades later. To this day, the identity of the woman in the painting remains a mystery.

In Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Camille de Peretti uses this intriguing chapter in art history to imagine the woman behind the painting and the generations that follow her. Moving from turn-of-the-century Vienna to Manhattan during the Great Depression, from Texas in the 1980s to contemporary Italy, de Peretti weaves together art, history, family secrets, disappearances, and thwarted loves.

A major literary success in France, the novel received numerous awards, including the Prix Maison de la Presse, Prix des Romancières, Prix du Roman Marie Claire, and Prix Nice Baie des Anges. It is now available in English in a translation by Hildegarde Serle, published by Europa Editions.

Camille de Peretti will be joined by Benoit Landon for a conversation about the remarkable true story behind the novel, the mystery surrounding Klimt’s painting, and how historical fact can become fiction. The talk will be followed by an audience Q&A, a reception and book signing.

This event will be held in English.