Oskar Kokoschka is one of the central figures of 20th century European fine arts and one of the shapers of Expressionism until the 1920’s. Kokoschka led a very interesting life, full of different encounters which left important and less important marks on him, all the while significantly influencing the lives and work of numerous contemporaries. Kokoschka studied at the Vienna School of Art and began his collaboration with the Vienna Workshops while still in school. He later found his artistic expression in a new art movement – Expressionism. Kokoschka did not fully imitate the German model but rather chose to emphasize the depiction of inner experience, which can be seen in the graphic cycles in which he described his complex relationship with Alma Mahler.
Jan Oeltjen was born in Northern Germany and studied in Berlin and Munich. Elsa was born in Ptuj and studied at the same school as Kokoschka – the Vienna School of Art. From 1911 until WWI, Jan and Elsa mostly resided in Vienna where they kept the same company as Oskar Kokoschka. Kokoschka’s work provided Jan Oeltjen with lots of material and formal inspiration for his own work, whereas Elsa’s work is directly influenced only by Kokoschka’s paintings around 1916. The inspiration was definitely mutual, as Kokoschka’s 1920 painting The Power of Music features a portrait of Elsa.
The exhibition showcases a selection of graphics created by Oskar Kokoschka until 1920 and highlights his influence on the artwork of Jan Oeltjen and Elsa Oeltjen Kasimir. The exhibition also features Vienna Workshops cards, book covers - the cover of Der Sturm magazine to the Der gefesselte Columbus (The Bound Columbus) cycle - and numerous lithographic portraits. Jan Oeltjen is presented with Sunday, his lithographic cycle, while Elsa Oeltjen Kasimir is presented with drawings in black chalk.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Public Institute Maribor 2012 – European Capital of Culture, University of Applied Arts Vienna and the Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum.
Opening Hours: Tuesday - Friday (10am - 4pm), Saturday - Siunday (10am - 1pm)