Adele Bloch-Bauer II is a 1912 painting by Gustav Klimt. Adele Bloch-Bauer was the wife of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer,[1] who was a wealthy industrialist who sponsored the arts and supported Gustav Klimt. Adele Bloch-Bauer was the only model to be painted twice by Klimt; she also appeared in the much more famous Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. Both portraits of Adele Bloch-Bauer were part of a protracted court battle in the United States and in Austria (see Republic of Austria v. Altmann) which resulted in five Gustav Klimt paintings being returned to Maria Altmann, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, in January 2006. In November 2006, Christie's auction house sold "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II" at auction for $88 million, the third-highest priced piece of art at auction at the time.

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II is the painting of "Adele Bloch-Bauer" who got the honor of being painted twice by Gustav Klimt. Klimt created two portraits of Bauer. The second one was completed in 1912. The artwork perfectly depicts the artist's devotion towards art and his maturity in dealing with his subject. 'Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II' was an excellent combination of oil, gold and silver on a canvas 190 x120 cm. The portrait is one among the many expensive artworks by Gustav Klimt.

Gustav Klimt presented both the paintings of Adele Bloch-Bauer to her. But after her death the paintings became an issue of many argumentations. Adele Bloch-Bauer in her will had expressed her desire of donating the two Klimt's paintings to the Austrian State Gallery. But after prolonged legal battle for the painting between United States and Austria, it was decided that the authoritarian right of the painting will be handed over to Maria Altman as the legal owner of all the four artworks by Gustav Klimt. Austria took the decision with great disappointment. After it went to America the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II was finally auctioned by Maria Altmann in 2006 for $87,936,000 in Christie's New York.

Adele Bloch-Bauer was the only woman whose portrait was painted twice by Klimt. In Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II the artist abandoned the iconic ambience and gold decoration of the first portrait in favor of a more modern approach to color. The vivid colors are applied spontaneously, yet with a strong compositional sense. An Asian motif can be seen in the upper background.