Richard Gerstl's Legacy at the Leopold Museum

The Leopold Museum in Vienna presents 'Richard Gerstl Inspiration – Vermächtnis', an exhibition exploring the influence of the Austrian Expressionist (1883-1908) on later artists like Georg Baselitz, who considers Gerstl a master. The show also contextualizes Gerstl's work alongside artists he admired, such as van Gogh, whose pointillist self-portrait with a bursting laugh is juxtaposed with van Gogh's austere one, which Gerstl saw at the Galerie Miethke in 1906. Gerstl's style defied the prevailing harmony of his time, blending descriptive-realism and pointillism inspired by the 1903 Impressionist exhibition at the Vienna Secession, and later incorporating Symbolist elements from Munch and Hodler, also seen at the Secession. His encounter with Schönberg and entry into his circle were pivotal, with summer stays at Traunsee where he taught Schönberg to paint. However, an affair with Schönberg's wife Mathilde led to conflict, rejection, and Gerstl's suicide on November 4, 1908, at age 25. After his death, his brother Alois showed his works to Otto Kallir, who promoted them in Europe and the US. Researcher Otto Breicha compiled extensive documentation around 1960. The Leopold Museum holds the largest collection of Gerstl's works (19 pieces), followed by the Kunsthaus Zug, and has established an archive based on Breicha's documents. The exhibition runs until January 20, 2020.