Leopold Museum: Already 110.000 visitors to see crowd-pulling Kokoschka exhibition

03.07.2019

Grand finale: Exhibition Oskar Kokoschka. Expressionist, Migrant, European only on display until Monday, 8th July

Ten days prior to the closing of the Kokoschka retrospective, the Director of the Leopold Museum Hans-Peter Wipplinger and the curator of the exhibition Heike Eipeldauer welcomed the 110,000th visitor to the large-scale Kokoschka presentation.

Fledgling teacher Christian Schütz from Constance was delighted with the unexpected surprise. A frequent visitor to Vienna to see his brother, the prospective German and history teacher explained that this was not his first time at the Leopold Museum. Being presented with a bouquet of flowers by the exhibition’s curator was certainly not something he had expected. Director Wipplinger gave the lucky visitor a copy of the exhibition catalogue, which will make for perfect summer reading.
“Following our exhibitions on Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Madame d’Ora and Moriz Nähr to mark the anniversary year of Viennese Modernism in 2018, this Kokoschka presentation and the upcoming retrospective on Richard Gerstl celebrate two further protagonists of Classical Modernism in Austria. The ‘chief wildling’ Oskar Kokoschka polarized and fascinated in equal measure. The ‘homo politicus’, who was driven into emigration to the Czech Republic and France during Europe’s darkest hours of the 20th century, and, defamed as a ‘degenerate artist’ by the National Socialists, was forced into exile in England, was always committed to freedom, peace and the idea of a united, humane Europe. Kokoschka found an adoptive home in Switzerland which he remained attached to until the end of his life despite temporarily returning to his homeland several times.”
Hans-Peter Wipplinger, Director of the Leopold Museum

The exhibition Oskar Kokoschka. Expressionist, Migrant, European curated by Heike Eipeldauer is about to come to a close and will only be on display until Monday, 8th July at the Leopold Museum. It is the first comprehensive Kokoschka retrospective shown in Vienna in around 30 years.
270 objects, including 80 paintings, from more than 60 lenders afford a unique overview of all the periods of the artist’s life and work. The exhibition showcases his early works still influenced by Jugendstil, the expressive Expressionist portraits, the paintings and drawings created in connection with his relationship with Alma Mahler, as well as the colorful and expressive works from his time in Dresden. Also on display are examples of the political art from his period of emigration, while works from his prolific late oeuvre – including the large-scale triptychs from London and Hamburg – round out this comprehensive presentation.

Following the end of the exhibition, important works by Kokoschka from the Leopold Collection, as well as select loans, will be integrated into the spectacular new presentation Vienna 1900. Birth of Modernism. They will temporarily replace the works by Richard Gerstl, which will feature from 27th September in the most comprehensive museum retrospective dedicated to the artist to date entitled Richard Gerstl. Inspiration – Legacy.

Back

Share and follow

  • Teilen per E-Mail