Egon Schiele: portraits

Abstract

This book accompanies a major exhibition devoted to portraits created by Austrian artist Egon Schiele, whose figurative work exhibits intense emotion and technical brilliance. Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. A superb draftsman and colorist, he produced images of startling emotional power. Following the lead of his mentor, Gustav Klimt, Schiele created figurative works of uncanny intimacy and brought a new openness to the art of his time. Schiele's premature death at the age of 28 has added a mythic quality to his artistic achievements. Egon Schiele: Portraits focuses on five groupings of the artist's work: family and academy, fellow artists, sitters and patrons, lovers, and allegory. In addition, it features a special section on a traumatic and pivotal period in Schiele's life: his arrest and imprisonment during the summer of 1912. Documenting the artist's changing style, both pre- and post-imprisonment, the book features many key works that have been assembled for this exhibition from both American and European museums and private collections.