This week, I came across a print. In its’ frame, one cannot see any signature or any information about the image at all. It intrigued me so I acquired it. A quick image search on Google tells me that this is a print of #VariationOnATheme#5 by artist #OscarKokoschka. This, of course, is not a lithograph which he produced around 1920 of audience members at a concert which he attended. As he listened to the music, Kokoschka drew 20 chalk portraits of two women while they listened to the music during the concert.

Kokoschka (1886-1980) was an Austrian artist, poet, and playwright. He trained under #GustavKlimt. Kokoschka drew and painted many portraits but he veered from the norm in that most are half length which included the arms and hands with which he captures individualistic gestures/expressions regarding the sitters emotional mood.

This poster was created for the Bethnal Green Museum exhibition in 1971 of Kokoschka’s works in the collection of Count Bethusy-Huc. The top of the poster has been removed down to and including the dates of the exhibition and a strip on the bottom has also been removed while retaining the message at the lower right on the print.