Leaving school at thirteen, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky moved through art classrooms in Vienna, The Hague, Frankfurt, Paris, and Berlin to refine her craft.
Early Influences and Migration
Born in 1906, Motesiczky grew up in a prominent Viennese family. Her artistic development was significantly influenced by Max Beckmann, a lifelong mentor she encountered in 1927. Following the Anschluss on 12 March 1938, she fled to Holland with her mother, Henriette von Lieben. By 1939, they moved to England, where she reconnected with Oskar Kokoschka. In 1941, she purchased a house in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, to secure her belongings and provide a studio space that also accommodated the library of the writer Elias Canetti, with whom she maintained a long personal correspondence.
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Living in London, she joined the Artists’ International Association and participated in a 1944 exhibition at the Czechoslovak Institute. She and her mother moved to 6 Chesterford Gardens, Hampstead, in 1960. During this period, she produced a series of portraits depicting her mother, which moved away from the earlier stylistic influence of Beckmann and Kokoschka. These works examined the physical effects of aging and the personal connection between the two subjects, establishing a distinct, personal style.
Exhibitions and Market Reception
Despite her output, Motesiczky held an aristocratic distance from the art market. While she participated in various exhibitions, including a 1966 show at the Wiener Secession and a 1985 retrospective at the Goethe Institute in London, she frequently preferred keeping her paintings for herself. Her work gained institutional recognition when the Tate Gallery acquired three of her pieces. A final major exhibition occurred in 1994 at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna.
Fast facts
- Born: 1906, Vienna
- Died: 10 June 1996, London
- Education: Städelschule, Frankfurt
- Primary medium: Painting
- Citizenship: Austria
- Burial place: Döbling Cemetery, Vienna
Questions readers ask
What was the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust?
Established in 1992 and granted charitable status on 21 November 1996, the Trust manages her estate to promote her work and support charitable objectives.
Did Motesiczky face significant career interruptions due to war?
Yes, she was forced to leave Vienna following the Anschluss in 1938, eventually relocating to England where she continued her painting and maintained an irregular salon.
