The Schönberg Family — History & Facts
The Schönberg Family was painted by Richard Gerstl in July 1908, during the final year of the artist’s life. The work is executed in oil on canvas and is associated with Gerstl’s time in Gmunden. It depicts members of the family of composer Arnold Schönberg, with whom Gerstl had a documented personal and artistic connection during this period. The composition presents four figures grouped closely together, rendered in vigorous, expressive brushstrokes.
The palette is dominated by intense yellows, blues, and pinks, with the background dissolving into abstract fields of color. The faces and forms are suggested rather than precisely defined, giving the scene a sense of immediacy and emotional intensity. The use of thick impasto and visible brushwork is characteristic of Gerstl's mature style, emphasizing psychological presence over physical detail. This painting is part of a series of portraits and group scenes created by Richard Gerstl in 1908, a year marked by his involvement with the Viennese avant-garde and his association with the Schönberg circle.
The painting is in the mumok (Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig) in Vienna.










