BBC Masterpieces of Vienna 2007

The Tempest: Kokoschka
Masterpieces of Vienna Episode 1 of 3

Series about Vienna’s cultural artefacts looks at Oskar Kokoschka’s expressionist masterpiece The Tempest, the product of a passionate love affair between the impoverished Viennese artist and a wealthy, older woman. The film tells the extraordinary story of their relationship and the bizarre behaviour it inspired from the rebellious Kokoschka.

Freud’s Couch
Masterpieces of Vienna Episode 2 of 3

Series about Vienna’s cultural artefacts looks at Sigmund Freud’s couch – now an iconic piece of furniture and the emblem of psychoanalysis. The film tells the story of how its arrival in Freud’s Viennese apartment triggered a revolution in 20th-century thinking.

Schiele’s Death and the Maiden
Masterpieces of Vienna Episode 3 of 3

Series about Vienna’s cultural artefacts looks at Egon Schiele’s haunting 1915 picture of two lovers clinging to each other, his tribute to the woman who stood by him in his darkest hour but then discarded ruthlessly.