Oskar Kokoschka

Born in Pöchlarn, Austria, on March 1, 1886, he studied at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts and first gained attention in the circle around the Wiener Werkstätte. Early on, he stood out for portraits that felt restless and psychologically intense, along with plays and poems that showed the same bold, searching spirit.

Over time he became one of the leading figures of Expressionism. His life was marked by travel, war, and exile, and those experiences deepened both his art and his public voice. He worked in Vienna, Berlin, Prague, and later Britain, and was known not only as a painter but also as a playwright, poet, and teacher.

Kokoschka spent his later years in Switzerland and died on February 22, 1980. Today he is remembered for art that feels alive with emotion and observation—paintings that look past surface appearances and try to capture the inner life of a person or a place.