Rebels with a Paintbrush: Egon Schiele

From sketches to bold paintings, our Egon Schiele prints let you curate a gallery wall of this scandalous rebel’s most powerful works.

The Scandalous Rebel Who Died Too Young

He was imprisoned for his “degenerate” art, died at 28 from the Spanish flu, and left behind some of the most raw, honest portraits ever painted. Egon Schiele’s rebellion was so intense, it still unsettles viewers today.

The Rebel Who Made Beauty Uncomfortable

In 1912, at just 22, Austrian artist Egon Schiele was arrested and imprisoned for creating work authorities deemed “pornographic.” His crime? Painting human vulnerability without prettifying it.

While Hilma af Klint channelled cosmic abstractions and Kandinsky made music visible, Schiele was doing something more dangerous — exposing human psychology made flesh. His figures were twisted, angular, psychologically naked. He painted raw truth in a world that preferred polite beauty.

And just as the art world began to recognise his genius, the Spanish flu took him at 28. His rebellion burned bright but far too fast.

Why Schiele Was the Ultimate Rebel

He Rejected Idealised Beauty

Unlike his mentor Gustav Klimt, who painted golden goddesses, Schiele stripped away decoration. His portraits showed bodies and minds in all their awkward truth.

He Made Sexuality Honest

Schiele’s nudes weren’t titillating — they were unflinching studies of human sexuality and vulnerability. In conservative Austria, this honesty was criminal enough to earn him 24 days in prison.

He Painted Emotions, Not Just Bodies

Every Schiele portrait feels haunted — twisted poses and piercing eyes that reveal inner turmoil. He wasn’t interested in flattery, only truth.

He Created a Unique Language in Just 10 Years

Between 1908 and 1918, Schiele produced over 3,000 works. In one decade, he forged a style that influenced generations. His career ended at its peak, leaving us with an unfinished symphony of rebellion.

Egon Schiele’s Two Girls Hugging captures intimacy and vulnerability with the raw honesty that made his work so controversial.

The Tragedy of Genius Cut Short

Unlike Picasso or Matisse, whose styles evolved over decades, Schiele’s story ends abruptly. We have only this concentrated burst of intensity, then silence. Every Schiele print carries the weight of “what if?”

Why Schiele’s Art Belongs in Your Home

It Demands Conversation

Schiele’s portraits don’t fade into the background. They spark discussion and challenge you to see beyond surface beauty.

It Suits Modern Spaces

His angular lines and earthy palettes work beautifully with minimalist, industrial, and moody interiors. Schiele’s expressionism complements:

·        Minimalist homes (his intensity adds depth)

·        Industrial décor (his raw honesty matches exposed materials)

·        Our Abstract collection (rebellion in many forms)

·        Our Dark and Moody collection (he practically invented it)

It’s Historically Significant

Owning a Schiele reproduction means owning a piece of art once considered criminal, now celebrated as revolutionary.

Own a museum-quality reproduction of Schiele’s Woman with Orange Stockings — expressionist art that still challenges over a century later.

Styling Your Space with Schiele

As Statement Pieces: His portraits shine in bedrooms or studies, where their psychological weight can be appreciated.

In Gallery Walls: Pair Schiele with other rebels from our Famous Artists collection. His raw intensity against Matisse’s joy creates visual sparks.

In Creative Spaces: His sketches are perfect reminders that true creativity often unsettles.

The Recognition He Never Lived to See

By 1918, Schiele was finally gaining recognition in galleries and collections. Then tragedy struck: his wife Edith died of Spanish flu, and three days later, so did he. He was 28. His last words: “The war is over, and I must go.”

Famous Art Prints That Preserve Rebellion

This is why we’re passionate about offering museum-quality reproductions of rebels like Schiele. His originals are worth millions, but his vision deserves to be lived with.

Our Egon Schiele prints are produced using archival pigment inks on sustainable Hahnemühle paper — the same materials museums trust to preserve his psychologically intense works.

Why Every Home Needs Some Uncomfortable Truth

Schiele didn’t paint to soothe — he painted to confront. His art strips away pretence, forcing us to see the beauty in vulnerability and complexity.

In a world of filters and curated perfection, Schiele’s honesty feels more radical than ever.

Ready to bring some scandalous rebellion to your walls? Browse our Egon Schiele collection and discover why this tragic genius still makes people uncomfortable — in the best way.

Next in our Rebels with a Paintbrush series: Kazimir Malevich

Portrait of Valerie Neuzil — Schiele’s muse captured with bold colours and uncompromising honesty.

Schiele’s Mother and Child balances tenderness with his signature raw expressionist style.

Devotion shows Schiele’s unmistakable line work and psychological intensity in one unforgettable por

P.S. Every Schiele work whispers the same haunting question: what might he have painted if he’d lived longer?