Max Oppenheimer, Portrait of Tilla Durieux, 1912 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Max Oppenheimer, Portrait of Tilla Durieux, 1912"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

Tilla Durieux (born Ottilie Godeffroy; 18 August 1880 - 21 February 1971) was a 20th-century Austrian theatre and film actress.

Max Oppenheimer was an early collaborator of Egon Schiele and an Austrian expressionist since the beginning of the movement. Shortly after moving to Berlin at the invitation of art dealer Paul Cassirer, Oppenheimer informed his patron of his desire to create a portrait of his wife, Tilla Durieux. Cassirer was more than sceptical: "What, you want to paint my wife? Many have already tried. [Lovis] Corinth and Max Slevogt and fixed in Munich." Indeed, the painting process took its toll on the twenty-five-year-old, but he still managed to create a portrait, which came as a pleasant surprise to the art dealer. "I didn't think you were capable of that," said Cassirer - who seemingly considered portraying a "hideous beauty" the greatest challenge imaginable. Here, the famous actress is endowed with a cool, repulsive gaze and the placement of her hands is reminiscent of gestures found in Kokoschka's works. A novel for Oppenheimer's work at this point in his career, the crystalline fabric in the background attests to his venture into Cubism.

Max Oppenheimer (Vienna, Austria, 1 July 1885 - New York, USA 19 May 1954), later known as MOPP, was an Austrian painter and graphic artist. Along with Egon Schiele, with whom he shared a studio in 1910, and Oskar Kokoschka, he was considered one of Austria's leading avant-garde artists.