Egon Schiele - Oskar Kokoschka

It was a rivalry that sparked artistic masterpieces. The lavishly illustrated publication looks at the relationship between the two towering figures of Austrian Modernism, Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele. They were rivals and masterful networkers; their race for success and recognition opens up a previously untold chapter of modern art. Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele were rising stars in early 20th-century Vienna, and their early work laid the foundations for Austrian Expressionism. Their rivalry is as exceptional as their networks and artworks. When Egon Schiele died in 1918 at the age of only 28, his attempt at reconciliation with Kokoschka having failed, the older artist still had six decades ahead of him, during which he would be celebrated internationally as a major Austrian figure. But he never escaped Schiele's shadow; quite the contrary. With historical documents and art reproductions, the publication shows in detail the feud that these two artists fought.

Christian Bauer is curator of the Egon Schiele Museum in Tulln and works at theUniversity for Continuing Education, Krems. Bernadette Reinhold is head of the Oskar Kokoschka Centre at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.