Oskar Kokoschka

Born in Austria on 1 March 1886, Oskar Kokoschka grew into one of the early twentieth century's most uncompromising portraitists, working in an expressionist vein that valued psychological intensity over beauty. His portraits and landscapes carried a visceral, almost combative energy, and his ideas about vision helped shape the direction of Viennese Expressionism. Over a long career that saw him hold Austrian, Czech, and British citizenship at different points, he also wrote poetry and plays and taught. He died on 22 February 1980.