In collaboration with Heidi Horten Collection Vienna and their upcoming show “EXPERIMENT EXPRESSIONISM – SCHIELE MEETS NOSFERATU”
Get ready to dive into the wild, emotional world of Expressionism – the art movement that tore up the rulebook and painted what it feels like to be human. From raw self-portraits to futuristic film stills, Viennas Heidi Horten Collections upcoming show – Experiment Expressionism – Schiele meets Nosferatu – brings together the intense energy of Egon Schiele’s brushstrokes and the haunting shadows of early cinema. This bold, cross-genre exhibition captures the chaos, beauty, and emotional extremes that defined a generation of artists unafraid to show their inner world.
To make Expressionism easy to digest (and actually fun), we’ve put together a little tongue-in-cheek millennial guide to help you navigate the drama. Catch the show at the Heidi Horten Collection, opening April 10 – and prepare to feel all the feels.
The exhibition gives you a taste of handpicked masterpieces of the Expressionism movement – wild, emotional, and definitely not boring. Enjoy the ride!
🧛 Anonym – Makler Grau (Nosferatu Still), ca. 1922
Anonym, Alexander Granach als Häusermakler Knock in “Nosferatu”, 1922 © Kantonsbibliothek Appenzell Ausserrhoden, CMO, Trogen (CH)
This guy? Not exactly your friendly neighborhood realtor. The bald, grinning man is from the expressionist silent film Nosferatu – a cult classic and eerie masterpiece from the Weimar era. The character is Knock, a realtor turned madman, somewhere between prophet and pure nightmare fuel. His smile? Creepy, not charming. His body? Twisted, with almost animalistic elements.
What expressionist painters did with lines and colors, filmmakers did here with shadow, lighting, and exaggerated movement. It’s not about reality – it’s about what’s bubbling underneath. A world full of fear, chaos, and primal instincts.
🧿 Alfred Wickenburg – Selbstbildnis in persischer Tracht, ca. 1920er
WickenAlfred Wickenburg, Selbstbildnis in persischer Tracht, 1920 © LENTOS Kunstmuseum, Linz, Foto: Reinhard Haider
A selfie in costume? Of course. Alfred Wickenburg deliberately stages himself here – with a turban, flowing robe, and a touch of exotica. But what’s really behind it?
The image almost feels like a roleplay. A young artist experimenting. Caught between self-presentation and longing, between fantasy and identity. The “Persian attire” reflects how strong the wanderlust and fascination with other cultures were at the time.
Wickenburg was part of a generation that wanted to see the world anew – out of the narrow confines, into new roles, colors, and cultures. A selfie with a question mark: Who am I – and who do I want to be? 🧿🧥
🔥Egon Schiele – Selbstporträt mit Pfauenweste (1911)
Egon Schiele, Selbstbildnis mit Pfauenweste, 1911 © Ernst Ploil, Wien
Schiele and his self-portrait? Total energy. He’s rocking this stiff peacock vest, but his gaze is anything but stiff. The dude was a rebel – and this picture screams it. With his jagged lines and almost theatrical stare, Schiele shook up the art world. It’s not about pretty beauty here, it’s about digging deep into raw, uncomfortable feelings. A self-portrait that tells you more about him than words ever could.
🌿🎨 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – Rote Akte, 1912
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Rote Akte, 1912 © Bildrecht, Wien 2025
Wild, free, and bursting with energy – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner throws us straight into nature, but not the peaceful, postcard kind. This is a space where bodies and colors explode. Two naked figures move through an expressive landscape, their skin streaked with blue shadows, shaped by the light.
Kirchner and his artist group Brücke wanted just that: breaking free from conventions, returning to something primal. They were inspired by Indigenous art, fascinated by the idea of the naked, “untouched” body – a concept we now approach more critically. But one thing’s for sure: these works radiate raw intensity, still pulsing over a century later.
🤖🎬 Heinz Schulz-Neudamm – Filmplakat zu Metropolis, 1927
Heinz Schulz-Neudamm, Filmplakat zu „Metropolis“, 1926 © ÖNB/Wien, PLA16301956
Futurism meets film history: This iconic poster for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis is more than promotion – it’s a design statement.
Schulz-Neudamm nails the vision of a technoid mega-city: sleek architecture, stylized forms, a face like forged steel. Utopia and dystopia side by side. With Art Deco vibes and sci-fi energy, the poster itself became legendary – a graphic lightning bolt
💄 Helene Funke – In der Loge, 1915
Photo by Mischa Nawrata; Gemälde von Helene Funke; 1915; In der Loge, Logenbild, 112,5 cm x 127 cm, Öl auf Leinwand, Privatbesitz, Wien, Kunsthandel Hieke – Hieke Fine Art, Grünangergasse 12, 1010 Wien
What a comeback! Lost for decades and now a total showstopper: In der Loge, Helene Funke’s fauvist power crew. At the center: a group of women – vibrant, confident, fully present. They’re not there to decorate, they’re owning the scene. No male gaze in charge. Just freedom, laughter, presence. Funke paints like zooming in with opera glasses – straight into the moment. The audience becomes the stage, the women the spotlight.
The colors? Bold. The vibe? Unapologetic. This painting isn’t just Viennese Modernism – it’s an empowered statement from a time that often pushed women to the sidelines.
A feminist color explosion that still resonates today. 💄🎭🔥
🎭 Max Pechstein – Gelbe Maske II, 1910
Max Pechstein, Gelbe Maske II, 1910
Berlin around 1910? Total creative mayhem. The city’s a magnet for everything loud, wild, and new – art, nightlife, cabarets, chaos. And right in the middle of it all: Max Pechstein. One of the OGs of the Brücke artist group, co-shaping German Expressionism – basically a color influencer long before Insta.
In The Yellow Mask II, he goes all in with bold colors and strong contrasts that make the painting almost glow. A blazing yellow mask, a green backdrop, icy blue skin – it’s intense. Back then, people thought it was super weird and even laughed at it. But Pechstein and his Brücke crew didn’t care. They were all about freedom – painting what they felt, zero concern for tradition.
Their motto?
“We happily discovered a complete harmony in our urge for liberation […]”
aka: Let’s break the rules and paint the revolution. 🎨💥
🧡 Robert Kloss – Terzetta, ca. 1927
Robert Kloos, Terzetta, 1922
© OeNB/Grafisches Atelier Neumann, Wien
The title says Terzetta – like a musical trio. But in the painting? Just one woman. And maybe that’s the whole point: she’s not just one person. She’s the solo act, the chorus, and the stage all at once.
With her theatrical pose, that sharp outfit, and a gaze that knows exactly it’s being watched, she radiates pure diva energy – caught somewhere between performance and self-staging. It’s giving: I contain multitudes.
Kloss keeps it smooth and stylized – clean lines, soft contours, a hint of Art Deco elegance. Everything feels staged, almost cinematic. Maybe Terzetta isn’t about three people at all, but about the complexity of identity. One woman, many layers. One scene, endless interpretations.
🎬 One woman. Three roles. Infinite presence.
👤🪒 Rudolf Wacker – Selbstbildnis mit Rasierschaum, ca. 1920er
Rudolf Wacker, Selbstbildnis mit Rasierschaum, 1924
© Museum Ortner (Courtesy Kunsthandel Giese & Schwieger, Wien)
Foam on his face, eyes locked with ours – Rudolf Wacker doesn’t pose as a grand artistic genius here. He’s just a guy mid-shave, caught in the act. A selfie before selfies existed.
The shaving cream becomes a mask, a statement, a touch of absurdity. And quietly, Wacker asks the big stuff: Who am I? How do I see myself – and how do others see me?
Wacker was part of the New Objectivity movement, a style that emerged after WWI to bring order to the post-war mess. Precise, clear, brutally honest. But beneath Wacker’s sharp realism lies subtle humor – thoughtful, quiet, almost melancholic.
🦇 Nosferatu – A Classic Cast in Shadow
Albin Grau, Nosferatu, 1922 © Kantonsbibliothek Appenzell Ausserrhoden, CMO, Trogen (CH)
This vintage poster captures the essence of early cinema horror: bold, graphic, and steeped in atmosphere. The figure looms large – not just as a monster, but as a piece of visual mythology.
With its exaggerated pose and glowing eyes, the image leans into expressionism, where fear becomes form and shadow tells the story. The scattered letters of “NOSFERATU” echo like a silent scream across the composition.
A striking blend of art and cinema – where style shapes suspense.
🎬 1920s horror meets modernist design.
