Kokoschka

‘This is a revelatory new biography of Oskar Kokoschka. Rüdiger Görner tells the story of the life and loves of this unique Central European painter and man of letters as he interacted with writers, musicians and artists in is milieu as well as many important political leaders. Arguably full of inner contradictions, Kokoschka remains a hugely significant figure whose relevance is undiminished indeed for these times.’
Norman Rosenthal

‘An unconventional but long-awaited approach to Kokoschka’s rich oeuvre. Rüdiger Görner sets Kokoschka’s singular character against a social, literary and political background in a century of European turmoil, shedding light on how contemporaries such as Thomas Mann and Karl Kraus viewed his work. This new biography is a holistic reflection on Kokoschka as a person, with his paintings and writings, his enemies and lovers, his agonies and hopes.’
Catherine Hug, curator of Kunsthaus Zürich

‘Rüdiger Görner does not separate the artist from his life. Kokoschka was driven, always trying to cross boundaries, be they moral, political or social. The veracity of his art was the result of these frictions never being hidden. Görner works along the same principles, creating a convincing book and presenting the entire Kokoschka, perhaps for the first time, and leaves the reader with an unforgettable impression.’
Johann Konrad Eberlein, former director of the Institute of Art History at University of Graz

‘Görner unearths a plentitude of unexpected and enlightening discoveries about Kokoschka’s life’
Timothy Benson, curator of Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies, Los Angeles County Museum of Art