Authenticating drawings and paintings by Egon Schiele is difficult. One reason is that his style changed, how he depicted his models changed, the topics he treated changed, even though he was dead by the time he was twenty-eight years old.
The changes were not sudden, they were a constant progression. This renders comparisons difficult. It makes it uneasy to work from solid points of reference. In a quality painting, small differences could mean it is not by Egon Schiele, or that Schiele had moved on. Authenticating works by Egon Schiele is reminiscent of shooting at a moving target that keeps changing speed and direction.
At the research level, Egon Schiele moved multiple times, he abandoned locations in a hurry. Egon Schiele had a huge quantity of people around him, coming to his home and studio, particularly from the lowest levels of society. Schiele had works seized by authorities. Disgruntled “models” and sex partners left Egon Schiele.
For these reasons, authenticating works by Egon Schiele takes time, requires careful research and analysis. It is like a complex murder investigation.
Naturally, we certify and issue certificates of authenticity (COA) for all the drawings and paintings by Egon Schiele that we established are authentic.