埃貢·席勒

Marianne Holtermann, London
Perry Lewis
Serge Sabarsky Gallery, New York (acquired from the above in December 1987)

Rosenheim, Städtische Galerie Rosenheim; Florence, Palazzo Strozzi; Herford, Herforder Kunstverein im Daniel-Pöppelmann-Haus; Leverkusen, Erholungshaus der Bayer A.G.; Frankfurt, Jahrhunderthalle Hoechst; Bari, Castello Svevo; Genoa, Museo Villa Croce; Ferrara, Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea di Palazzo Massari; Roslyn, New York, Nassau County Museum of Art; Linz, Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum; Bietigheim-Bissingen, Städtische Galerie; Berlin, Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum; Passau, Museum Moderner Kunst; Ulm, Ulmer Museum; Prague, Palais Wallenstein; Paris, Musée-Galerie de la Seita & Vienna, BAWAG Foundation, Egon Schiele 1890-1918. 100 Zeichnungen und Aquarelle / Egon Schiele 1890-1918. Cent œuvres sur papier, 1988-93, no. 58, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Milan, Palazzo della Permanente, Egon Schiele: acquarelli e dipinti, 1991, no. 43
Aix-en-Provence, Musée Granet; Albi, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec; Lisbon, Culturgest; Aschaffenburg, Galerie Jesuitenkirche; Blumeninsel Mainau, Schloss Mainau; Martigny, Fondation Pierre Gianadda; Bad Frankenhausen, Panorama Museum; Klagenfurt, Städtische Galerie; Krakow, International Cultural Centre & Ljubljana, Cankarjev Dom, Fine Art Gallery, Egon Schiele: 100 Zeichnungen und Aquarelle, 1993-97, no. 89, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
New York, The Serge Sabarsky Foundation, Egon Schiele: Drawings and Watercolors, 1996
New York, Neue Galerie, Egon Schiele: The Ronald S. Lauder and Serge Sabarasky Collections, 2005-06, no. D109, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, New York, 1998, no. 1372, illustrated p. 508

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount on the reverse of the top two corners. The sheet has darkened with age and the edges are stained (not visible when mounted). There are artist's pinholes at the edges. Apart from a small liquid stain next to the knee of the right-hand figure, some tiny losses to the grey pigment and some very small nicks to the right edge, this work is in good condition. Colours: In comparison with the printed catalogue illustration, the paper tone is much lighter and the colours are fresher in the original.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Executed in 1913, Zwei stehende weibliche Halbakte is a remarkable work from a crucially important period in Schiele’s career. The previous year the artist moved to Neulengbach, some twenty miles west of Vienna, with his model and muse Walpurga (Wally) Neuzil. It was here that the artist faced the greatest ordeal of his career. He was falsely accused of a series of charges including kidnapping and incarcerated pending trial. After 21 days in jail he was duly acquitted, after it was found that the girl in question had chosen to run away from her parents, a retired naval officer and his wife, and had sought refuge with Egon and Wally who soon safely returned the girl to her parents. Profoundly shaken by this experience, Schiele was understandably keen to return to Vienna as swiftly as possible. Under straightened circumstances he continued to pursue his art, and by the following year his style had undergone a remarkable transformation.

Zwei stehende weibliche Halbakte is executed with an extraordinary acuity of line. The tense febrility it captures within the nudes’ lower bodies is exacerbated by the bright patches of gouache which colour their remaining clothes. Suspended amidst the paper with only the girls’ anatomies as points of reference, Schiele’s line has left behind the final vestiges of decorative function and now exhibit incisive powers of description. Discussing his works on paper from 1913, Jane Kallir explained: 'This year [...] produces one of the most profound changes of the artist's career: the switch from two-dimensional to three-dimensional orientation, which will shape his drawing style for good. In keeping with his Jugendstil conditioning, Schiele prior to 1913 had been in thrall to the flatness of the picture plane, its negative spaces, and to the tactile qualities of pigment for pigment's sake. Realistic verisimilitude was formerly of secondary importance only. Now this begins to change' (J. Kallir, op. cit., p. 490).