When Jewish art dealer Lea Bondi fled Vienna in 1939, Portrait of Wally, Egon Schiele’s tender picture of his mistress Walburga (Wally) Neuzil, was seized by the Nazis. The painting resurfaced in 1997 while on loan to Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art, sparking a thirteen-year legal battle with the owner’s heirs. Portrait Of Wally traces the history of this iconic image, from Schiele’s gesture of affection toward his young lover, through the post-war confusion and subterfuge, to its surprising reappearance and the ensuing legal battle. This is the stunning account of a painting that brought Nazi art looting into the public sphere and forced museums to search their own collections and return the “last prisoners of war” to their families.

Portrait Of Wally will screen at 6:30 pm and 9:15 pm on Wednesday, January 9, and at 6:45 pm on Thursday, January 10, at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. Director Andrew Shea will be in attendance to introduce the film and answer questions following the screenings.

Single tickets for the film are $15 and can be purchased in advance online or in person at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema box office. If advance tickets sell out, a limited number of tickets may be available at the door on the night of the screening. New this year: Hot Docs has introduced a special Doc Soup Student 6-Pack for $35 ($90 value), valid for Wednesday 9:15 p.m. screenings. Student 6-Packs can be purchased online at hotdocs.ca, in person that the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema box office, or by phone at 416-637-5150.