Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Portrait of Valerie Neuzil or Portrait of Wally
Just last week, on June 20, 2010, a long-running battle over who owned the above painting was settled in New York City with a payment of $19 million dollars to the estate of the artist.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Two Seated Girls
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) was an Austrian painter. A protégé of Gustav Klimt, Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Portrait of a Woman
Schiele's work is noted for its intensity & for the many self-portraits the artist produced.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Self Portrait with Spread Fingers
The twisted body shapes & expressive line that characterize Schiele's paintings & drawings mark the artist as an early exponent of Expressionism, although still strongly associated with the art nouveau movement (Jugendstil).
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Portrait of the Artist's Wife Edith Schiele Seated
Portrait of Wally, a 1912 portrait, was purchased by Rudolf Leopold in 1954, and became part of the collection of the Leopold Museum, when it was established by the Austrian government, purchasing more than 5,000 pieces that Leopold had owned.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Woman With Black Hat
After a 1997-1998 exhibit of Schiele's work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the painting was seized by order of the New York County District Attorney and had been tied up in litigation by heirs of its former owner who claim that the painting was Nazi plunder and should be returned to them.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Portrait of the Publisher Eduard Kismack
The dispute has been settled one week ago on July 20th, and the picture was purchased by Leopold Museum for $19 million.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Two Little Girls
In the autumn of 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic that claimed more than 20,000,000 lives in Europe reached Vienna.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Hindering the Artist is a Crime It is Murdering Life in the Bud Self Portrait
Schiele’s wife Edith, who was 6 months pregnant, succumbed to the disease on 28 October.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Portrait of a Woman
Schiele died only 3 days after his wife. He was 28 years old.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Self Portrait
During the 3 days between their deaths, Schiele drew sketches of Edith; those were his last works.
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Two Boys
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) The Dancer Moa
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Portrait of the Artist's Wife Edith Schiele Seated
Egon Schiele (1890–1918) Portrait of Karl Zakovsek
Terms of the court settlement for the Portrait of Wally...
(a) the Leopold Museum pays the Estate $19 Million;
(b) the Estate releases its claim to the Painting;
(c) the United States Government dismisses the civil forfeiture action it brought against the Leopold Museum and releases the Painting to the Leopold Museum;
(d) the Leopold Museum will permanently display signage next to the Painting at the Leopold Museum, and at all future displays of the Painting of any kind that the Leopold Museum authorizes or allows anywhere in the world, that sets forth the true provenance of the Painting, including Lea Bondi Jaray’s prior ownership of the Painting and its theft from her by a Nazi agent before she fled to London in 1939; and
(e) before it is transported to the Leopold Museum in Vienna, the Painting will be publicly exhibited at the Museum of Jewish Heritage -- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, in New York, beginning with a ceremony commemorating the legacy of Lea Bondi Jaray and the successful resolution of the lawsuit.
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