30. 06. 10. - 12:00

Art collector Rudolf Leopold dies at 85

Rudolf Leopold, one of Austria’s most prestigious art collectors, has died at the age of 85.

The Vienna-born eye specialist who passed away yesterday (Tues), started to collect art after World War Two. He was regarded as one of the leading experts on the work of Gustav Klimt protégé Egon Schiele who died in 1918 during the Spanish Flu epidemic at the age of 28.

Paintings by these two famed artists made up a large part of Leopold’s collection consisting of more than 5,000 items worth around eight billion Euros.

The Leopold Museum at the Museumsquartier complex in Vienna-Neubau, has developed into one of the city’s top attractions since 2001. It hosts several special exhibitions every year, while its permanent exhibit focuses on Schiele, Klimt and contemporaries.

Speaking about his fascination for Schiele, Leopold said in a recent interview: "There was barely interest for Schiele’s works when I started collecting it. He was widely regarded as a perverted and deranged lunatic by Austria’s conservative opinion leaders in the 1950s and 1960s."

Social Democratic (SPÖ) Chancellor Werner Faymann praised Leopold as a "great collector of art" and "a true expert of Schiele", while People’s Party (ÖVP) Vice Chancellor Josef Pröll hailed him a "great Austrian personality".

Former ÖVP boss Erhard Busek said: "Rudolf Leopold was a real art enthusiast and mad about what he did in a totally positive sense. Austria must never stop being grateful for his achievements."

Leopold was often criticised for possessing several paintings the Nazis took from members of the Jewish community. But the collector stressed he had always acted in good faith when buying works of art and vigorously checked a piece’s history before purchase.