Seated Woman with Bent Knees
1917 · Gouache and black crayon on paper · 46 × 30 cm
Death and the Maiden
1915 · Oil on canvas · 150 × 180 cm
Portrait of Wally Neuzil
1912 · Oil on wood · 33 × 40 cm
The Embrace
1917 · Oil on canvas · 100 × 170 cm
Self-Portrait with Physalis
1912 · Oil and gouache on wood · 33 × 40 cm
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) was an Austrian Expressionist painter known for his raw, psychologically intense depictions of the human body. A protégé of Gustav Klimt, he developed a distinctive style characterized by distorted figures, angular lines, and unflinching sexuality. Despite dying at just 28, he produced over 3,000 drawings and 300 paintings that profoundly influenced modern art.
His most celebrated works include Self-Portrait with Physalis (1912), The Embrace (1917), Portrait of Wally Neuzil (1912), Death and the Maiden (1915), and Seated Woman with Bent Knees (1917). His self-portraits, often showing himself in contorted, anguished poses, are considered among the most powerful self-examinations in art history.
In 1912, Schiele was arrested in Neulengbach, Austria, on charges of abducting a minor and displaying erotic art accessible to children. The abduction charge was dropped, but he was convicted of exhibiting "pornographic" drawings and spent 24 days in jail. The judge ceremonially burned one of his drawings over a candle flame in the courtroom.
Schiele died on October 31, 1918, at the age of 28, from the Spanish flu pandemic that swept across Europe. His pregnant wife Edith had died of the same disease three days earlier, on October 28. Schiele had been experiencing a breakthrough year in 1918, with a major exhibition and growing critical and commercial success, making his death a devastating loss to art.
Klimt was Schiele's mentor and greatest supporter. They met in 1907 when the 17-year-old Schiele sought out the established master. Klimt recognized Schiele's extraordinary talent, introduced him to patrons and models, and exchanged artworks with him. Their artistic relationship was one of mutual admiration: Klimt reportedly said of Schiele's work, "You have talent. Much too much talent." Klimt died in February 1918, just eight months before Schiele.
This page features public domain works by Egon Schiele and is not managed by the artist.
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