Egon Schiele’s nudes can challenge us and our preconceptions of the artistic tradition of the “nude”. He didn’t paint or draw idealised goddesses. He preferred to present female and male genitalia in full light. Many of the female nudes reference pornographic images and include props such as stockings typically associated with prostitution. Schiele often used prostitutes as models but he also made nudes of his sister, lovers and wife. You can’t escape the palpable eroticism of his work, often truly explicit.

Schiele lead a bohemian life in the early 20th century Viennese cafe culture inhabited by radical intellectuals who asked questions about sex, desire, death and the true nature of humanity. Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams had been recently published. Against this background Schiele looks to reveal the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie and the reality of the human condition. The artist produced some of the most radical depictions of the human figure created in modern times – so radical that in 1912 he was imprisoned for two months for exhibiting his ‘offensive’ nudes.

Below you will find the gallery of some of hundreds of nudes he created in his short life.

And don’t forget to visit our free app today, DailyArt (iOS/Android) where you will find another piece created by Schiele.

1. Kneeling Girl, Resting on Both Elbows, 1917

Egon Schiele, Kneeling Girl, Resting on Both Elbows, 1917, Leopold Museum

Standing Nude in Red Jacket, 1913

Egon Schiele, Standing Nude in Red Jacket, 1913, private collection

3. Black-Haired Nude Girl Standing, 1910

Egon-Schiele, Black-Haired Nude Girl Standing, 1910, Courtauld Gallery

4. Reclining Female Nude with Legs Spread Apart, 1914

Egon Schiele, Reclining Female Nude with Legs Spread Apart, 1914, Albertina, Vienna

5. Seated Female Nude with Black Stockings, 1910

Egon Schiele, Seated Female Nude with Black Stockings, 1910, private collection

6. Blonde Nude Model Sitting on Brownish-Blue Cloth, 1912

Egon Schiele, Blonde Nude Model Sitting on Brownish-Blue Cloth, 1912, Albertina, Vienna

7. Two Girls Lying Entwined, 1915

Egon Schiele, Two Girls Lying Entwined, 1915, Albertina, Vienna

8. Kneeling Semi-Nude, 1917

Egon Schiele, Kneeling Semi-Nude, 1917, private collection

9. Sitting Female Nude with Yellow Blanket

Egon Schiele, Sitting Female Nude with Yellow Blanket, 1910, private collection

10. Girl with the Green Stockings, 1916

Egon Schiele, Girl with the Green Stockings, 1916, private collection

11. Crouching female nude with bended head, 1918

Egon Schiele, Crouching female nude with bended head, 1918, private collection

12. Red-Head Girl in Black Dress with Spreaded Legs, 1910

Egon Schiele, Red-Head Girl in Black Dress with Spreaded Legs, 1910, Leopold Museum

13. Crouching Woman with Green Kerchief, 1914

Egon Schiele, Crouching Woman with Green Kerchief, 1914, Leopold Museum

14. Two Girls Embracing (Two Friends), 1915

Egon Schiele, Two Girls Embracing (Two Friends), 1915, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

15. Lying Women, 1917

Egon Schiele, Lying Women, 1917, Leopold Museum