Egon Schiele:
Portrait of Franz Kudera (Franz Kudera als Soldat), 1915
Pencil on paper
45.5 x 29.1 cm
Auctioend at Christie’s, London, October 16, 2026 for £96,000
(Kallir d1774a)

A previously unknown 1915 drawing by Egon Schiele has recently emerged from a private collection. The pencil portrait depicts a soldier named Franz Kudera, a man otherwise almost absent from the historical record.

A New Addition to Schiele’s Oeuvre

New additions to Schiele’s catalogue raisonné are exceedingly rare, making the appearance of this portrait particularly significant. Ahead of the sale, Jane Kallir thoroughly examined the drawing and accepted it as an authentic work by Schiele. As part of that process, she assigned the sheet a new catalogue raisonné number, formally incorporating it into Schiele’s documented oeuvre. The portrait also appears to be the only known likeness of Franz Kudera in Schiele’s entire oeuvre.

The drawing’s provenance is remarkably personal. Schiele handed the portrait directly to Kudera as a gift in Vienna back in 1915. Kudera treasured the sheet until 1967, when it passed down to his heirs. Those family members later gifted the work to the private Austrian owners who finally brought it to Christie’s in 2026. The drawing remained outside exhibitions, publications, and the established Schiele literature until its appearance at Christie’s in 2026.

Drawing During the War

That crisp 1915 date in the lower right corner captures Schiele at a dramatic turning point in his life. After three medical examinations, the Austro-Hungarian army drafted him in May 1915. On June 17, he married Edith Harms in Vienna. Just four days later, he reported for duty as a one-year volunteer (Einjährig-Freiwilliger) in Prague before heading to Neuhaus in Bohemia for basic infantry training.

By late summer, the military transferred Schiele back to the Vienna region. He served at posts around the capital, including Baumgarten and the supply depot at Gänserndorf. Because he had a weak heart, his commanders kept him off the front lines. He worked as an administrative clerk and escorted transports of Russian prisoners of war.

Life in the barracks completely changed how Schiele worked. He had zero space or time for large oil canvases. Instead, he turned to the people around him, filling portable sheets with quick, observant portraits of fellow soldiers, officers, prisoners, and acquaintances. One such example is his portrait of a Russian Soldier (Prisoner of War), 1915, drawn during the same period and reflecting Schiele’s growing interest in the people he encountered through military service.

Franz Kudera

Military personnel files leave no trace of Franz Kudera’s biography beyond his status as a soldier in the German title Franz Kudera als Soldat and his home in Vienna. Receiving a signed portrait straight from Schiele’s hand shows a genuine personal bond forged during Schiele’s Viennese service in the second half of 1915.

The sheet matches the standard paper format Schiele relied on throughout the war. His 1915 graphite line feels focused, alert, and refreshingly direct. He builds Kudera’s head with confident contour strokes, capturing his round glasses and collared tunic with zero decorative fuss.

These wartime portraits reveal a different side of Schiele than many people expect. Today he is often associated with his provocative self-portraits and expressive figure studies, works that still divide opinion. Yet during the war he produced dozens of straightforward portraits of soldiers, officers, prisoners of war, friends, and acquaintances. Rather than drama or symbolism, the emphasis is often on careful observation and individual character.

For a man who has left almost no trace in the historical record, Franz Kudera suddenly acquired one: a portrait drawn by Egon Schiele in 1915.