Egon Schiele

The Gerstel Collection (sold: Christie's, London, June 20, 2006, lot 12)

Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Munich, Haus der Kunst, Egon Schiele, 1975, no. 145, illustrated in the catalogue

Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, New York, 1990 and 1998, no. 838, illustrated p. 443 (illustrated vertically and with incorrect measurements)

The sheet is affixed to the mount at the two top corners. There are remnants of old tape and glue on the reverse, and the artist's pinholes are visible in the corners. The paper was folded prior to execution, and thus two perpendicular creases run horizontally and vertically through the center of the composition. There are light handling creases at the corners. The thick gouache outline has some slight craqueleur, partially due to the texture of the paper. There is a loss to the paper at the lower right corner, which occurred prior to the execution of the composition, given the placement of the tack hole, and two small nicks at the right edge. At the edges of the sheet there is some light fading caused by an earlier mount. Over all, this work is in very good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Executed in 1911, Mädchenakt mit weisser Umrandung is a beautiful example of Schiele's eye for sensual detail.   In this highly charged depiction of a nude model arching her torso with her arms raised above her head, Schiele highlights the voluptuous contours of her body with a surrounding halo of white gouache.  This technique was common for Schiele's works from this period, and shows the artists's developing interest in investing his drawings with color. As Jane Kallir notes: "Schiele likes to divide the sheet into discrete color areas, each bounded and determined by the contours of the underlying drawing and treated in a distinctive manner, but whereas in the early part of 1911 these areas are filled more or less solidly, by midyear a multitude of colors is deployed in each moist puddle of pigment" (J. Kallir, op. cit., p. 433).

Like other drawings that Schiele completed around the same time, this work demonstrates the artist's interest in the balance of negative and positive space and the interplay of solids and voids.  The artist would often leave the background of the composition virtually untouched, while devoting all his attention to the hyper-sexualized focus of his composition.  To characterize these pictures as unfinished, though, would misinterpret Schiele's very complete and dramatic focus on his subject. Schiele pinpointed the elements of his composition that he wanted to emphasize, leaving parts of the body devoid of color or often not rendering them at all.  This approach highlights Schiele's exemplary draftsmanship and the elements of his compositions that he found the most alluring.