The Self-Portrait, from Schiele To Beckmann
An unprecedented exhibition examining self-portraiture primarily from Austria and Germany made between 1900 and 1945.
Max Beckmann
(1884–1950)
Self-Portrait in front of Red Curtain, 1923
Oil on canvas
Private Collection
© 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
“The Self-Portrait, from Schiele to Beckmann” is an unprecedented exhibition that examines works primarily from Austria and Germany made between 1900 and 1945. This groundbreaking show is unique in its examination and focus on works of this period. Approximately 70 self-portraits by more than 30 artists—both well-known figures and others who deserve greater recognition—will be united in the presentation, which is comprised of loans from public and private collections worldwide.
Admired for their revelatory nature, self-portraits yield insight into both the appearance and the essence of the artist, in some cases providing almost confessional portrayals, sharing profound insights regarding their self-image as a maker, and their perceived relationship to society. On a more universal level, they can also expose deeper truths about the human condition. During the first four decades of the twentieth century, the self-portrait, a genre that has transcended the ages, reached new heights in Germany and Austria.
Among artists in the Neue Galerie collection, the types of self-portraiture vary widely. Egon Schiele, gazing into a large studio mirror, created an unprecedented number of raw, even shocking self-portraits composed only of his face and body. He stripped away layers of social conventions to expose thoughts and feelings beneath the surface of his skin. Max Beckmann found his stride using an open, brushy style with heavy black outlines, and created some of the greatest self-portraits of the twentieth century; they possess an expressive power that reaches back to the Old Masters. Felix Nussbaum—employing the more realistic style of the Neue Sachlichkeit—reflected the misery of and threat to his life as a persecuted Jew, as well as his personal resolve to record his circumstances faithfully. Some of the most outstanding self-portraits in this exhibition are by women, including Paula Modersohn-Becker, who painted a number of bold, groundbreaking self-portraits, some of which highlighted her pregnancy; and Käthe Kollwitz, who cast an unsparing eye on her own world-weary visage. The best of these works always engage the viewer in a complex and meaningful way.
Curator Tobias G. Natter walks you through “The Self-Portrait, from Schiele to Beckmann.”
IN THE NEWS
“A Familiar Face Expresses a View of the World”
— The New York Times
“…incisive, beautifully staged exhibition”
— The Wall Street Journal
“A fascinating exhibition... and so directly moving because it is a portrait of an epoch.”
— Philippe de Montebello, NYC-ARTS
“German and Austrian artists…channelled their anxiety and existential dread onto the canvas, depicting themselves with ambiguous expressions or in visible distress.”
— The Economist’s 1843 Magazine
LEARN MORE
Purchase the Exhibition Catalogue
This visually stunning volume offers perceptive examinations of several renowned German and Austrian Expressionist artists who redefined modern self-portraiture.
Download the Audio Guide
Hear curatorial insights on key works in the exhibition.
Käthe Kollwitz
(1867–1945)
Frontal Self-Portrait, ca. 1910
Charcoal on gray-blue Ingres paper
Käthe Kollwitz Museum Cologne
Photo: Käthe Kollwitz Museum Cologne
© 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Felix Nussbaum
(1904–1944)
Self-Portrait with Jewish Identity Card, ca. 1943
Oil on canvas
Felix-Nussbaum-Haus Osnabrück, loan from the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung
Photo: Museumsquartier Osnabrück, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus Osnabrück © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Lyonel Feininger
(1871–1956)
Self-Portrait, 1915
Oil on canvas
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund
© 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876–1907)
Self-Portrait with Two Flowers in Her Raised Left Hand, 1907
Oil on canvas
Jointly owned by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Debra and Leon Black, and The Neue Galerie New York, Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder
Lovis Corinth
(1858–1925)
Last Self-Portrait, 1925
Oil on canvas
Kunsthaus Zürich
Photo: © Kunsthaus Zürich
Georg Scholz
(1890-1945)
Self-Portrait in front of an Advertising Column, 1926
Oil on canvas
Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
Photo: bpk Bildagentur / Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe / Art Resource, NY © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York