KOKOSCHKA (Oskar). - Lot 136

KOKOSCHKA (Oskar). Born in Pöchlarn (Lower Austria). 1886-1980. Painter. L.A.S. "Kokoschka" to "Dr. Rattor". In German. S.l., December 31, 1912. 1 1/2 pages, large in-4. Suffering, the painter was unable to reply immediately to his correspondent's letter. He asks him to extend his warmest wishes to the jubilarian [who has completed 50 years in office], and is obliged to decline his proposal: he does not feel legitimate enough to speak publicly about Kerr's work.Kokoschka studied in Vienna and was initially enthusiastic about Art Nouveau, but soon turned away. He was already generating controversy as a major precursor of Expressionism. His style was decried, and he himself was described as a painter of decomposition. In 1912, his passionate encounter with Alma Mahler, muse of the Viennese cultural scene, inspired many of his paintings, including The Wind Bride. A jack-of-all-trades, he wrote plays and designed theater sets... But above all, he was a painter interested in faces. We owe him many portraits, including those of Golda Meir and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.