Today, hardly anyone knows who they were, even though they made a part of art history: artists such as Elena Luksch-Makowsky, Helene Funke, and Erika Giovanna Klien contributed significantly to Viennese Modernism and artistic trends that manifested after the First World War. To commemorate these artists, their art, and their emancipatory achievements, a long overdue retrospective has now been staged in the Lower Belvedere.
“[…] I think it may be time for at least one painting to be hanging at the St.-G. [Staatsgalerie].” Egon Schiele to his friend and patron Arthur Roessler, 21 June 1916 His wish would be fulfilled as there are now a total of twenty works by Egon Schiele in the Belvedere’s collection, including two permanent loans. 2018 is the centenary of his death. Marking this occasion, an in-depth exhibition considers all of the artist’s works that are – or were – in the Belvedere’s collection. It traces the genesis of a collection and also presents new findings about Schiele’s works. Highlights include Eduard Kosmack, Portrait of Wally Neuzil, Facade of a House, Death and Maiden, Embrace, and Four Trees. Curator Kerstin Jesse answers questions about the works’ acquisition and motifs, shedding light, for example, on the people portrayed in the images. The show is enriched by many loans, especially preliminary studies and sketches related to the works at the Belvedere. Preparations for the exhibition included scientific analyses resulting in new findings about the artist’s painting technique and working methods and these will also be presented for the first time. In addition, it features a selection of papers and documents from the archives, some which have never […]