Courtauld Gallery | 23 Oct 2014 – 18 Jan 2015
Admission: standard entry £6.00
Egon Schiele was no stranger to controversy. His nudes – raw, fleshy and unflinching – were criticised for being disturbing and grotesque; too erotic, too explicit, too radical. In fact, so ‘offensive’ were these works, they earned Schiele a two month prison sentence, and at the trial the judge is alleged to have burned some of the drawings with a candle flame.
This is the first UK show dedicated solely to the artist, and it is long overdue. Bringing together some of his most extraordinary watercolours and drawings, it reveals the profound influence he had on modern depictions of the human figure. But it also portrays an audacious artist who was unapologetic for the vision of his art. His work alludes to a future that includes Francis Bacon, Tracey Emin and Marlene Dumas.
Arriving in Vienna in 1906 aged just 15, Schiele sought out Gustav Klimt and implored him to become his mentor. After an unremarkable start, his breakthrough came in 1910. The nudes he produced in this seminal year were complex, expressive and emotionally-charged; totally unlike anything that had been seen before. The display begins at this incredible moment in Schiele’s career and continues up to his untimely death at 28 years old. – Art Fund
Seated Female Nude with Raised Arm – Gertrude Schiele – 1910.
‘The Austrian artist’s passionate love of women is illuminated in one of the most important – and sexy – exhibitions of the year’ – Jonathan Jones, The Guardian
‘Schiele’s drawings may not be beautiful but they are mesmerising to behold’ – Alastair Sooke, The Telegraph
Courtauld Gallery
Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 0RN
Tel: 020 7848 2526
Opening Times:
Daily, 10am – 6pm
C4C Arts 