The Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris is holding simultaneous exhibitions of Egon Schiele and Jean-Michel Basquiat since October 3rd.

Egon Schiele / Moa, 1911 / Gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper / 48 x 31 cm / Private Collection, London / Picture: © Mathias Kessler, 2017

These two exhibitions are in line with one of the Fondation Louis Vuitton's collection themes, "The Artist's Subjective, Expressionist Vision," and mark the first time the museum has focused on a specific "historical" artist.

Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was a painter from Tulln, Austria. In 1909, he left the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and founded the Neukunstgruppe (New Art Group). From 1911 onwards, he became fascinated with bodily distortion, introspection, and expressions of desire and tragedy, and devoted himself to his own work, even in isolation. Despite succumbing to the Spanish flu in 1918, he produced 300 paintings and hundreds of drawings over the course of ten years. His unique perspective is inseparable from the spirit of early 20th-century Vienna and is one of the pinnacles of Expressionism.
This is Egon Schiele's first solo exhibition in Paris in 25 years, and will feature approximately 120 drawings, watercolors, and oil paintings, focusing primarily on nudes and portraits, including "Pregnant Woman and Death" (1911), "Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant" (1912), and "Portrait of the Artist's Wife Seated, Holding Her Right Leg" (1917).

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), on the other hand, is one of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century. After dropping out of school, he established his first studio on the streets of New York and, while he achieved early success, he continued to struggle with the balance between hope and anguish. His work returns to modernism and expressionism, but also features a wide variety of motifs, often drawing inspiration from themes such as African American traditions and riots. Basquiat's death in 1988 left behind a rich oeuvre that included thousands of paintings and an even greater number of drawings.

Jean-Michel Basquiat / Untitled, 1982 / Acrylic and oilstick on wood / 182.8 x 121.9 cm / Private Collection © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. / Licensed by Artestar, New York.

The Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition will occupy four floors of the Fondation Louis Vuitton and will feature works previously unavailable in Europe, including "Obnoxious Liberals" (1982) and "In Italian" (1983), as well as works by Andy Warhol. This exhibition examines the lives of these artists, highlighting 135 iconic works, including collaborations with Robert Warhol.

Curiously, the two artists shared only 28 years of each other's lives, only to become key figures in the art world 10 years after their deaths, defining their eras. They are linked by their destinies and talents, and the impact and endurance of the work they produced during their short lives. This exhibition respects the specific context of each work, allowing visitors to experience their tumultuous careers and the equally rich era in which they lived.