NEW YORK, NY.- The Neue Galerie New York is presenting “Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele: 1918 Centenary.” The exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of the passing of two of the greatest Austrian artists of the twentieth century. 

Although born nearly thirty years apart, Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) and Egon Schiele (1890-1918) both tragically died in 1918—the same year that the Austro-Hungarian Empire ceased to exist following its defeat in World War I. Over the intervening century, the works of Klimt and Schiele have come to define the fertile creativity that marked the so-called “joyous apocalypse,” a term used to connote the waning days of Habsburg rule. This show pays tribute to the groundbreaking achievements of Klimt and Schiele, two masterful artists who are key figures in the collection of the Neue Galerie New York. 

Among the masterworks by Klimt in the exhibition are Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907), Park at Kammer Castle (1909), Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1914), Forester’s House in Weissenbach II (Garden) (1914), and The Dancer (1916-17). Masterworks by Schiele include Portrait of the Painter Karl Zakovšek (1910), Self-Portrait with Arm Twisted above Head (1910), Portrait of the Painter Max Oppenheimer (1910), and Friendship (1913). 

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907. Oil, silver, and gold on canvas, Neue Galerie New York. Acquired through the generosity of Ronald S. Lauder, the heirs of the Estates of Ferdinand and Adele Bloch-Bauer, and the Estée Lauder Fund.

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), Park at Kammer Castle, 1909. Oil on canvas, Neue Galerie New York. This work is part of the collection of Estée Lauder and was made available through the generosity of Estée Lauder.

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), Forester’s House in Weissenbach II (Garden), 1914. Oil on canvas, Neue Galerie New York. This work is part of the collection of Estée Lauder and was made available through the generosity of Estée Lauder.

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), The Dancer, 1916-17  (unfinished). Oil on canvas, Private collection.

Egon Schiele (1890–1918), Self-Portrait with Arm Twisted above Head, 1910. Watercolor and charcoal on paper, Private collection.

Egon Schiele (1890–1918), Friendship, 1913. Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper, Private collection.

The collection of Neue Galerie New York covers a range of media, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts, and photographs created in Austria and Germany between 1890 and 1940. The extended Neue Galerie collection is comprised of works belonging to Ronald S. Lauder, to the Estate of Serge Sabarsky, and to the museum itself. The artworks currently catalogued on this website represent the holdings of the museum only. 

The Austrian material emphasizes the special relationship that existed in Vienna circa 1900 between the fine and decorative arts. Major artists in the field of fine arts include Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Alfred Kubin, and Richard Gerstl. Decorative arts include the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops) and the designs of such well-known figures as Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Dagobert Peche. The architects Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner are also represented. 

The collection of German art focuses on important movements of the early twentieth century. Max Beckmann, as well as Expressionist artists Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde, receive special attention. The Bauhaus is well represented, with strength in the area of decorative arts. Artists of note who were affiliated with the Bauhaus include Theodor Bogler, Marianne Brandt, Marcel Breuer, László Moholy-Nagy, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Oskar Schlemmer, and Wilhelm Wagenfeld. Holdings of Neue Sachlichkeit material include both well-known and less familiar artists, including Albert Birkle, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Karl Hubbuch, Felix Nussbaum, and Georg Scholz.