At the turn of the century, Kokoschka’s rejection of the ornamental style of Jugendstil in favor of a crude representation of the human figure, and the provocative themes he addressed in his writings, like sexual taboos, shocked the very conservative Viennese society. In response to the harsh criticism he received from the press, Kokoschka shaved off his head to look like an outcast.

“Kokoschka would have deserved to have a new movement within art history devoted to himself—both as an author and as a painter, he was an explosionist.” Albert Ehrenstein

Photo by Wenzel Weis
Oskar Kokoschka le crane rasé, Vienne, 1909
Tirage argentique monté sur carton,
28,5 × 22,6 cm
Vienne, Universität für angewandte Kunst
Oskar Kokoschka Zentrum