The Treasury

March 28th to November 1th 2026

At the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna was a city oscillating between tradition and seminal innovation when two exceptionally talented Lower Austrian artists entered the scene: Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. These young stars were provocateurs and brilliant networkers, and they developed early Austrian Expressionism. But the relationship between these two men was defined by rivalry and resentment rather than appreciation. The resulting race to achieve fame and success would open up a new chapter in modern art.

Two exhibitions in 1908 marked the beginning of their public careers: Schiele’s debut in a small gallery in Salzburg and Kokoschka’s triumphant appearance in Vienna at the legendary Kunstschau Wien. The two artists met one year later, at the Internationale Kunstschau, and their artistic affinity would turn into a rivalry over the years that followed. They spent a decade observing, reacting to and outdoing one another, battling for attention, recognition and the status of Gustav Klimt’s legitimate heir.

This competition ended abruptly in 1918, with the early death of Schiele, but the response to his work remained enormously strong – in the art world generally but also for Kokoschka personally, who would never entirely free himself from the shadow of Schiele.

The Egon Schiele Museum Tulln is focusing on this electrifying relationship in this year’s annual exhibition. Comparisons of artworks, new perspectives and surprising connections bring to life the rivalry that existed until Schiele’s death in 1918: it is a story of competition, networking and groundbreaking art.

The book “Egon Schiele – Oskar Kokoschka: Networkers and Rivals” will accompany the exhibition: edited by Christian Bauer and Bernadette Reinhold, it will be published by Hirmer Verlag.