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Egon Schiele
Description
- Egon Schiele
- Sitzender Akt von vorn (Seated Nude, Front View)
- Black crayon on paper
- 16 3/4 by 8 in.
- 42.5 by 20.3 cm
Provenance
Frank Perls, Beverly Hills (acquired at the above sale)
Felix Landau, Beverly Hills
Private Collection (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 14, 1986, lot 129)
Acquired at the above sale
Literature
Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, Expanded Edition, New York, 1998, no. 2042, illustrated p. 586
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.
Catalogue Note
Schiele depicts the woman with a delightful clarity of line that is characteristic of his late drawings. Jane Kallir praises Schiele’s draughtsmanship by stating, “Few artists in history have managed to express the spirit of their subjects with such economy of means. In his nudes, Schiele strove for purity of form; in his portraits, for purity of being. With the precision of stop-action photography, Schiele could catch a moving body, or the flicker of emotion—a quivering lip, a furrowed brow—as it passed fleetingly across a sitter’s face. In this, he ranks alongside such artists as Hans Holbein as one of the greatest draughstmen of all times. Because Schiele plumbed the very souls of his subjects, his drawings remain as fresh and vital today as they were when made” (ibid., p. 442).
The artist’s fascination with depicting the human figure can be dated back to as early as 1910, but his later drawings of women, such as the present work, are truly displays of the pleasure he found in his quest to render beauty. Schiele masterfully renders this female nude with crisp lines that artfully capture her casual sensuousness and exemplify the artist’s unique understanding of the human form and character.
Kallir has also noted that these late drawings are among Schiele's best and most appealing: "Schiele—and by extension the viewer—are no longer participants in a process of sexual exploration, but merely voyeurs. It is not a coincidence that nudes from Schiele's late period have for years been much sought after by collectors. These women are exquisite objects of delectation" (ibid., p. 390).