Oskar Kokoschka

OSKAR KOKOSCHKA (Pöchlarn, Austria, 1886 – Villeneuve, Switzerland, 1980).
“Zwei Mädchen mit Taube” (Two Girls with a Dove), 1956.
Color lithograph on vellum paper.
Signed and numbered in pencil 21/70.
Printed by Wassermann, Basel.
Published by Galerie Beyeler, Basel.
Bibliography: Hans Maria Wingler and Friedrich Welz, Oskar Kokoschka. Das druckgraphische Werk, Galerie Welz, Salzburg, 1975, no. 208.
Measurements: 70 x 53.5 cm (paper); 87.5 x 71.5 cm (frame).

Created in 1956, this lithograph belongs to the mature period of Oskar Kokoschka, one of the leading figures of Austrian Expressionism. Following his years in exile and his experiences during World War II, his work took on a renewed humanistic dimension, characterized by greater chromatic luminosity and a special sensitivity toward the human figure. The composition depicts two young women accompanied by a dove, a traditional symbol of peace, whose presence takes on particular significance in the context of postwar Europe. Using quick, energetic brushstrokes, Kokoschka constructs the figures through overlapping lines and delicate shades of blue, yellow, and pink. The spontaneity of the gesture, the vibrancy of the color, and the atmosphere of intimacy reflect his conception of artistic creation as a direct expression of perception and emotion.

A painter, printmaker, and writer, Oskar Kokoschka was a key figure in European Expressionism. Trained in Vienna, he gained recognition for his portraits of intense psychological insight and his highly free gestural style. Persecuted by the Nazi regime, which labeled his work “degenerate art,” he went into exile first in Prague and later in London. In 1953, he settled in Villeneuve, Switzerland, and founded the Schule des Sehens (School of Vision) in Salzburg, dedicated to art education. His career was honored with major retrospectives at MoMA in New York and the Tate Gallery in London. His work is represented in institutions such as MoMA, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, and the Albertina in Vienna.