The world changed in 1914 and with it the art of Egon Schiele, as revealed in the Leopold Museum’s Changing Times exhibition.
- Covers the final years of Schiele’s life
- Tackles his artistic and personal transition
- c. 130 works (some previously unseen)
- A real treat for the eyes
- Runs Mar 28 – Jul 13, 2025
- Book tickets* for the Leopold Museum
- See also:
Changing Times
(Egon Schiele, The Embrace, 1917 © Belvedere, Wien; photo: Belvedere, Wien / Johannes Stoll)
As the world hurtles toward uncertainty and geopolitical belligerence, perhaps it does us good to return to simpler times.
Except maybe the world was ever so.
In 1914, for example, Europe fell into the chaos of WWI, and everything changed. As the artist Egon Schiele himself wrote prophetically in November of that same year:
What came before 1914 belongs to a different world
Indeed.
Most people associate Schiele with his remarkable portraits featuring characteristic brushwork and often contorted poses.
Changing Times at the Leopold Museum shows a different side to the artist, covering the years from 1914 to his death in 1918 from Spanish ‘flu just days before the end of the war.
(Egon Schiele, Seated Woman with Raised Knee, 1917 © Národní Galerie, Prague; photo: National Gallery Prague 2024)
In doing so, the exhibition addresses both Schiele’s biography and his artistic output across this period, since the two are intertwined.
During the war years, Schiele separated from his long time partner Wally Neuzil, married Edith Harms, and found himself in the military.
Schiele’s service brought an end to any mastery of his own time and drew him closer to the realities of war, even if he served away from the front in, for example, a POW camp.
As such, 1914 marked the start of a major transition in Schiele’s life and experiences that had a clear influence on his style: for example, less angular and gestural in his figurative paintings and more realistic and empathetic.
Changing Times illustrates this seminal period with dozens of Schiele’s works, four of which appear for the first time in public.
These later creations all bear Schiele’s clear handprint, though some feel quite unexpected. The realism in 1916’s Self-Portrait in a Uniform, for example, felt quite shocking when viewed in tandem with a few older self-portraits on display for comparative purposes.
(Egon Schiele, Decaying Mill (Mountain Mill), 1916 © Landessammlungen NÖ; photo: Landessammlungen NÖ)
We also see supporting archive material, such as pages from Edith Schiele’s diary and family letters that offer indirect insights into the artist’s personality.
The displays fall into nine themes, such as “Life in the Army” or “The Female Figure”. The works would fascinate in isolation, but the themes and context add a significant depth to the experience.
As I wandered around, the portraits, landscapes and nude studies seemed to project an aura of melancholy or sadness. Inevitable given the times, I imagine.
The selection of drawings and paintings gives you an excellent feel for Schiele’s approaches, too. For example, his focus on selective elements within a wider composition or the masterful use of colour in skin tones. (And his apparent reluctance to portray feet…)
Dates, tickets & tips
Journey through Schiele’s final years from March 28th to July 13th, 2025. An entrance ticket for or from the Leopold Museum includes all the exhibitions inside.
(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
The Leopold Museum’s permanent Vienna 1900 exhibition also includes a significant number of works by Schiele, so don’t miss those. And I have a whole guide on Viennese locations featuring his art or with a connection to his biography.
Schiele also plays a role in a current exhibition at the Heidi Horten Collection. Experiment Expressionism runs until August 31st, 2025.
For a more historical perspective on WWI:
- The Wien Museum permanent exhibition has a section on Fin-de-siècle Vienna
- The Heeresgeschichtliches Museum has several galleries addressing the war (including the car that carried Franz Ferdinand when he was assassinated, catalysing the events that led to WWI breaking out)
How to get to Schiele
Check the main Leopold Museum post for travel tips. The museum lives in the central MuseumsQuartier complex, close to the Volkstheater (U2 & U3 lines) and MuseumsQuartier (U2) subway stations.
Once inside, go down to level -1 to find Schiele.
Address: Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna