Description: A lavishly produced volume of Egon Schiele's self-portraits.
Egon Schiele's contorted and eccentric figures are among the most familiar and iconic images in twentieth-century art. A good many of those figures are self-portraits. Schiele returned to himself as a subject again and again over a period of many years, recording himself in various poses and styles. When he used his own body as a model, his interest often lay not in his actual self, but more generally in the position of the individual in the changing modern world. Posing in a variety of roles, Schiele uses his face like a mask. This beautifully produced book offers a comprehensive account of this crucial, yet underappreciated, aspect of Schiele's art.Brief description: Elisabeth Leopold is cofounder of the Leopold Museum Vienna, curator of numerous exhibitions, and the author of many articles on art and culture in Vienna around 1900.