Oskar Kokoschka

* 1st MARCH 1886 IN PÖCHLARN, LOWER AUSTRIA
† 22nd FEBRUAR 1980 IN MONTREUX (SUI)

Oskar Kokoschka was an Expressionist painter, graphic artist and author, who is most well known for his portraits. From 1905 until 1909 he studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna under Gustav Klimt amongst others. In 1914 he became a member of the Freie Secession in Berlin. After receiving serious injuries during the First World War he relocated to Dresden. From 1919 until 1926 he taught at the Art Academy in Dresden and from 1924. In 1931 he returned to Vienna, but fled due to the rise of National Socialism in Germany to Prague in the same year from where he maintained an active resistance. In 1938 he fled in exile to England and in 1953 he settled in Switzerland in Villeneuve at Lake Geneva. He died in 1980 in Montreux. The Oskar-Kokoschka-Prize was established by the Austrian government in his memory. His work can be found in the most prestigious international museums.