Egon Schiele

Austrian artist Egon Schiele (1890-1918) had a short life that made a long-lasting impact on the art world. His drawing skills landed him a spot at the Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 16, and his talent was admired and mentored by fellow Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. Schiele had a troubled childhood, losing his beloved father when he was young, and never feeling loved or understood by his mother. His life and work bore a strong narcissism, which, coupled with a paranoid, victim mentality and a proclivity for underage girls labeled him an outsider from mainstream Viennese society. He died of the Spanish Flu at the age of 28, just two days after his pregnant wife.