FROM the expressionism of early twentieth century Vienna to the gritty vitality of New York’s street art scene in the 1970s, the lives and works of Egon Schiele and Jean-Michel Basquiat could not seem more different. But a new exhibition at Paris’s Fondation Louis Vuitton will unveil a dialogue between the artists’ output, examining the implicit links between two short-lived but intensely prolific careers.
Egon Schiele, Self-Portrait with a Chinese Lantern (1912)
The two showcases expose biographical parallels between the artists, who both died at the age of 28 after a meteoric rise to fame, as well as thematic links between their explorations of human subjectivity and distortions of the body. The careers of each artist will be traced through 120 defining works, chronologically arranged to highlight the development of their style.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (1981)
The exhibition will feature some of Schiele’s most influential portraits and self-portraits, famed for their searing examination of human psychology and sexuality through dissonant and fragmented representations of the body. Meanwhile, the Fondation Louis Vuitton will present Basquiat works which have never before been seen in Europe, as well as collaborative pieces created with Andy Warhol. Like Schiele, Basquiat was fascinated by the relationship between self and society, his work exploring anxieties about race, culture, rebellion and the individual consciousness.
Egon Schiele, Moa (1911)
The Schiele exhibition will be the Fondation’s first display dedicated to a historical artist, while the Basquiat collection forms its largest exhibition of a single artist’s work. This exploration of art and identity from two of the most prominent painters of the twentieth century promises to highlight the intense creativity of their brief but brilliant careers.
by Rachel Parker
Egon Schiele – Jean-Michel Basquiat will run until January 14, 2019 at Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris.