Lost works, brought back to life

The ALBERTINA honors Adrian Ghenie with a revolutionary exhibition based on the idea and concept by Ciprian Adrian Barsan. Adrian Ghenie brings Schiele's lost works – known only through blackandwhite photographs – back to life. About a quarter of Schiele's paintings remain missing or were destroyed. These lost images, which address themes such as death, sexuality, and melancholy, exist only as shadowy photographs. The project 'Egon Schiele Schattenbilder' takes viewers on a metaphysical journey through decay and rebirth. Ghenie transforms these shadow images into vivid manifestations of the color spectrum, blurring the lines between reality and abstraction. The exhibition will be held at the ALBERTINA from October 11, 2024, to February 9, 2025.

"Schiele was, of course, part of my mental archive. I have two things in common with Schiele. Not in terms of style, but in terms of attitude. As soon as you leave behind the traditional constraints of anatomy, the way you deform the human form can become a portrait of your character or inner psyche on a deeper level." – Adrian Ghenie