661 - Egon Schiele (1890 Tulln/Danube – Vienna 1918)

Egon Schiele (1890 Tulln/Danube – Vienna 1918) Hay Huts Pencil on chamois-colored Strathmore Japan paper. 1914. Approx. 28 x 45 cm. Signed and dated in the center of the left margin. Kallir D 1682a. • Insight into the young artist’s creative process • With minimal means, Schiele creates an atmospheric scene • In 1914, Schiele was at the height of his success In the upper half of the image, a row of sketchily rendered hay huts stretches across the picture. That is all Schiele declares to have accomplished on this sheet in 1914 through his signature and date. Here, a young artist is not merely attempting to quickly capture his world; rather, he is creating an atmosphere with just a few elements. The huts are not simply thrown onto the paper at random; rather, the empty space serves as a realm of possibility, allowing a scene to take shape in the viewer’s imagination. A late summer day—the harvest will soon be gathered, and the hay huts await their purpose. Here, Schiele skillfully demonstrates why we hold him in such high regard; he reduces the scene to such an extent that its message and essence are conveyed, yet the degree of abstraction requires the viewer’s imagination. Exhibitions: Viennese Graphic Design from the Secession to Expressionism, Galerie St. Etienne, New York 1991/92, cat. no. 77; Man Museo d’arte Provincia di Nuoro, Nuoro 2007/08; Egon Schiele: Living Landscapes, Neue Galerie Museum, New York 2024/25. Provenance: Artist’s estate, stamped on the reverse and handwritten with the number “408.”; Otto Benesch Collection (1896–1964), Vienna/Cambridge (USA)/New York, inscribed by hand on the reverse; Serge Sabarsky Collection/Estate, New York, acquired no later than 1991; Vally Sabarsky Collection/Foundation, New York. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).