Schiele & Peschka

Behind the “Peschka Collection” lies a story that connects two artistic families - and opens up new insights into the world of Egon Schiele. Schiele’s sister Gerti married the painter Anton Peschka, Schiele’s close friend and artistic colleague. When their son, Anton Peschka Jr., passed away in 1997, he left the City of Vienna an extraordinary legacy: an entire estate that not only includes world-famous artworks, but also serves as a true time capsule of creative Vienna in the early twentieth century. And stipulated that it be made accessible to the public as the ‘Peschka Collection‘. Alongside important paintings and drawings, the estate includes Schiele’s studio furniture and collections of souvenirs, decorative objects, art magazines, and books. There are also hundreds of family photographs and letters - rich material that, for the first time, makes it possible to reconstruct Schiele’s life in relation to his closest relatives in detail. Peschka’s estate thus not only deepens our understanding of Schiele’s world, but also offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the lives and artistic ambitions of two remarkable families.