In Search of Kunst: Egon Schiele in Munich

Winter time in Munich is a good time to hit the museums, if you're not out skiing or sledding that is.  And even though I'm on my way tomorrow to Schiele's home town of Vienna (I wonder if it would have been ranked the #1 city in the world to live back then*) I wanted to see it before I left, just in case I'm standing in front of so many blank walls at the Albertina wondering what once hung there.

Egon Schiele's "The Unsalvageable Ego" is showing now until March 4 at the Lenbachhaus Kunstbau - the temporary exhibition hall set up while the charming Lenbachhaus is closed for renovations (scheduled to reopen in Spring 2013). 

If you haven't seen this exhibit yet and won't be heading to Vienna anytime soon for his other works (majority of which permanently reside at the Leopold Museum, then make sure you stop by before March 4 when the works head back to their home at the Albertina Museum in Vienna.

Schiele's first solo show abroad was here in Munich one hundred years ago in 1912, he died only six years later of the Spanish flu at age 28, just a few days after his pregnant wife succombed to it herself.  IF you're not familiar with his work, perhaps you've heard of Gustav Klimt?  Well Schiele was Klimt's protege, becoming a respectable artist of his own right even while he was still alive.

How to get there?  Take the U2 or Bus 100 to Königsplatz (and take a walk around, it's pretty...it's pretty historical too!).


Schiele liked to rotate some of his works, even though it doesn't seem 'natural' it is meant to be hung vertically, like this (despite previous owners hanging it in landscape format).  You can tell by how his signature is placed.

Egon Schiele.  Lying nude, 1911
Pencil, water colour, topcoat paint and opaque white on wrapping paper© Albertina, Wien

I love this poster on display.  Schiele designed it
for the 49th Exhibition of the Viennese Seccession.

Egon Schiele
Self portrait in orange jacket, 1913
Pencil, water colour and topcoat paint on Japanese tissue paper

 To see a slideshow of the complete works of Egon Scheile click here.

* For the record, Munich isn't so shabby either, coming in at #4!