Oskar Kokoschka: Biography of the Austrian Expressionist
Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman and playwright, one of the leading figures of expressionism. He was born in Pöchlarn, in Austria, and died in Montreux, in Switzerland.
Last updated 30 September 2026
Vienna: the early years
Kokoschka studied at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts (Kunstgewerbeschule) from 1904 and worked for the Wiener Werkstätte. His contributions to the 1908 Kunstschau exhibition caused a scandal in Vienna, and earned him the support of the architect Adolf Loos, who became his patron.
Berlin, Alma Mahler and the war
In 1910 he moved to Berlin and worked with Herwarth Walden’s magazine Der Sturm. From 1912 to 1915 he was in a turbulent relationship with Alma Mahler, the widow of the composer Gustav Mahler, which inspired his large canvas The Bride of the Wind (1913–1914). Wounded on the Eastern Front during the First World War, he spent years recovering.
Dresden and years of travel
From 1919 to 1923 he was a professor at the Dresden Academy. He then travelled widely across Europe, North Africa and the Near East, painting landscapes and city views, and lived in Vienna and Prague.
Exile: “Degenerate Art” and London
In 1937 the Nazi regime removed works by Kokoschka from German museums, and some were shown in the “Degenerate Art” (Entartete Kunst) exhibition. He left Prague for London in 1938 and became a British citizen in 1947.
Switzerland and the School of Seeing
In 1953 he settled in Villeneuve, near Montreux, on Lake Geneva. The same year he began teaching summer courses in Salzburg, known as the “School of Seeing”. He worked until the end of his life and died in 1980.
The paintings
- Self-Portrait with a Cigarette (1935–1936)
- Self-Portrait with Doll (1920)
- Portrait of Konrad Adenauer (1966)
Frequently asked questions
When was Oskar Kokoschka born and when did he die?
Oskar Kokoschka was born on 1 March 1886 in Pöchlarn, Austria, and died on 22 February 1980 in Montreux, Switzerland.
What art movement was Oskar Kokoschka part of?
Expressionism. He is one of the leading Austrian expressionist painters.
Who was Alma Mahler to Kokoschka?
Alma Mahler, widow of the composer Gustav Mahler, was his lover from 1912 to 1915. Their relationship inspired The Bride of the Wind and, later, the life-sized doll he had made in her image.
Why were Kokoschka’s works in the “Degenerate Art” exhibition?
The Nazi regime branded modernist and avant-garde art as “degenerate”. Works by Kokoschka were removed from German museums in 1937, and some were shown in the exhibition.