The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is currently hosting a remarkable exhibition, “Oskar Kokoschka: A Rebel from Vienna,” which runs from March 17, 2023, to September 3, 2023. This exhibition is a tribute to Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980), a painter, poet, writer, essayist, and playwright who began his career in early 20th-century Vienna alongside artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.
Kokoschka’s first works shocked the public and critics alike, earning him the nickname Oberwildling—”the most savage of them all.” His rich personal and artistic path spanned the 20th century and was intrinsically linked to the historical events that shaped it. Throughout his career, Kokoschka demonstrated a thirst for independence and refrained from associating himself with artistic movements. He once said, “I am an expressionist because I do not know how to do anything other than express life.”
One of the most impressive highlights presented during the exhibition is “The Painter II (The Painter and His Model II)” from 1923. This work, like many of Kokoschka’s portraits, seeks to convey the inner self of the models. Rather than achieving likeness, Kokoschka engaged in conversation and allowed his models to freely carry on with their duties while they were being painted to eventually reveal who they really were.
Kokoschka’s commitment to his art is reflected in each of his works and places him as an essential witness to his time and its transformations. A radical artist from the start, he became a target of the Nazis, who considered him a representative of “degenerate art.” He fought against fascism with his work, becoming an influential figure for European reconciliation after World War II and actively participating in the cultural reconstruction of a devastated continent.
The exhibition is organized by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Paris Musées, and is curated by Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer in collaboration with Fabrice Hergott and Fanny Schulmann. It is a must-see for any art lover, offering a deep dive into the life and work of a truly unique artist.
For those who cannot visit in person, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao offers a virtual tour of the exhibition, including all the works and didactic texts in the show. This is a unique opportunity to explore the work of Oskar Kokoschka and understand why he was, indeed, a rebel from Vienna.
