Portrait of an Unknown Woman

Painted by Gustav Klimt in Vienna in 1910, Portrait of a Lady has led a mysterious life of its own. Purchased by an anonymous collector in 1916 and retouched by Klimt the following year, the painting was stolen in 1997—only to resurface more than two decades later in the gardens of an Italian modern art museum. Yet no one knows the identity of the woman Klimt captured on canvas or the secrets behind her portrait.

Spanning more than a century and moving from Vienna to Texas, Manhattan, and contemporary Italy, de Peretti imagines the story behind the mysterious woman and the generations that follow her. As the painting passes through turbulent times, their lives become entwined with family secrets, disappearances, forbidden love, and the enduring mystery of a stolen masterpiece.

Rich in atmosphere and intrigue, the novel brings together art, history, and family drama in a sweeping story of love, loss, and the hidden lives behind a famous painting.