埃貢·席勒

Dr Frederick & Ilona Gerstel, Vienna & New York (sold: Christie's, London, June 20, 2006, lot 12)

Sir Sean Connery, New York (acquired at the above sale and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 7, 2008, lot 5)

Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

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

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

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

Please contact the Impressionist and Modern Art Department at (212) 606-7360 for the condition report for this lot.
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 artist's developing interest in investing his drawings with color.

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 hypersexualized 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.