Who Was Egon Schiele?

Egon Schiele was an Austrian artist and a defining figure of the Vienna Secession movement — a radical modernist circle that broke from academic tradition in turn-of-the-century Vienna. His work appeared alongside that of Gustav Klimt and Amedeo Modigliani, placing him at the heart of European avant-garde art. His tormented, twisted figures drew comparisons to the poetry of Paul Celan, who evoked Schiele's imagery in his own work.