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ONLINECOLLECTION

“Pietà”, 1926

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Oil on canvas
173×231 cm

Artists

  • Albin Egger-Lienz

    (Stribach 1868–1926 St. Justina)

Currently on display at EG
Albin Egger-Lienz (1868–1926) chose to depict biblical scenes in the pastoral, the environment most familiar to him. In this sparsely furnished room, there is nothing which can disturb the resonant peace. The scene’s protagonists grieve quietly and solemnly. Their rigid faces evoke their deep belief in the hereafter – that which helps them through this most difficult hour. The central motif of the recumbent corpse was preceded by a series of studies. Its foreshortened perspective suggests a tribute to The Lamentation of Christ by Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506) from Brera, Milan. Overall, the image has a voyeuristic quality, which is emphasized by the raised perspective that can be discerned by the skewed tabletop and, particularly, by the angles of the floor and wall in the background. The arrangement of the figures follows strict principles of symmetry and is neglected only in the bottom left corner, which remains empty. In this last monumental work by Albin Egger-Lienz, it seems that every other typical element of dramaturgy is missing and that the magnitude of scale and simplicity of composition were of greater consequence.

A closer look

The artwork explained by
art expert Markus Hübl

Object data

Artist/author
  • Albin Egger-Lienz
Title
“Pietà”
Date
1926
Art movement
Expressionism
Category
Painting
Material​/technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
173×231 cm
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 4126
Inventory access
Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994
Selection of Reference works
  • Wien 1900. Aufbruch in die Moderne, hrsg. von Hans-Peter Wipplinger, Wien 2019 (Ausst.-Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien, ab 15.03.2019).
  • Albin Egger-Lienz: 1868-1926, hrsg. von Gert Ammann/Michael Fuhr, Wien 2008 (Ausst.-Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien, 15.02.2008–29.05.2008).
  • Wilfried Kirschl: Albin Egger-Lienz: 1868-1926; das Gesamtwerk; [Monographie in zwei Bänden], Wien 1996.
Catalogue raisonne
  • Kirschl 1996: M 637
Conservation patron
Hans-Jörg Dworak
Keywords

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i

Nachlass Albin Egger-Lienz, St. Justina, Bozen (1927); (1)
Laura Egger, Innsbruck (1927-1940);
Armin Huber, Wien (ab 1940); (2)
Marietta Huber, Wien (bis 1971); (3)
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (1971-1994); (4)
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (seit 1994).

  1. Wilfried Kirschl, Albin Egger-Lienz: 1868-1926. Das Gesamtwerk, Wien 1996, S. 573, M 637
  2. Armin Huber an Laura Egger vom 13.02.1940; Archiv des BDA, Restitutionsmaterialien, Personenmappen, K 37/3, Armin Huber
  3. Archiv des Leopold Museums, Bestätigung Armin Huber vom 15.09.1969
  4. Archiv des Leopold Museums, Bestätigung Armin Huber vom 03.02.1971

For provenance related information, please contact us.