Kokoschka’s Backgrounds

With Kokoschka's Backgrounds, the Museum der Moderne Salzburg presents an exhibition at its Old Town venue (Rupertinum) that offers insights into Kokoschka's compositions. The focus is on the evolution of his pictorial backgrounds over the course of his career.

The exhibition presents a selection of early paintings and juxtaposes them with works from the late 1930s to the 1970s. Complemented by drawings and prints from the museum's extensive collection holdings, a multifaceted picture emerges of Kokoschka's artistic development.

In his early portraits, the primary focus of interest was capturing the inner state of the sitter. With his "X-ray gaze," the artist sought to look behind the facade of outward appearance. The design of the pictorial backgrounds played a special role in this endeavor. Fluidly merging fields of color emphasized the sitters and surrounded them like a visibly manifested aura. As his artistic career progressed, his portraits became more realistic. The painter added various attributes and narrative accessories, through which his pictorial backgrounds became important carriers of meaning.

In cooperation with the Fondation Oskar Kokoschka, Vevey.