In spring 1912, young Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) falls in love with Alma Mahler (1879-1964), widow of the composer Gustav Mahler and well known in the better Viennese society. Shortly after, he portrays her in the style of the Mona Lisa. This work is now also on display at the Museum Folkwang. The exhibition there is dedicated to the intense love that bound Mahler and Kokoschka for several years and put the artist into a kind of creative frenzy.
Powerful, even tumultuous paintings like "Double Portrait of Alma Mahler and Oskar Kokoschka," "Woman in Blue," or "The Bride of the Wind" testify to Kokoschka's passion. In 1919, he even had a doll made in the likeness of his lover. With the help of this fetish, he hoped to get over the fact that she had sent him away after a three-year 'amour fou' without much ado.
The double portrait from 1912 is considered one of the top works within the modern collection at the Museum Folkwang. Its director, Peter Gorschlüter, had the brilliant idea of linking the woman, who took on many roles as a composer, musician, author, salon lady, muse, and femme fatale, with contemporary art that willingly crosses borders. Thus, the idea for the interdisciplinary festival "Double Portraits. Alma Mahler-Werfel in the Mirror of Viennese Modernity" was born. Six cultural institutions are involved: the Aalto Music Theater, the Old Synagogue – House of Jewish Culture, the Essen Philharmonic, the Folkwang University of the Arts, the Museum Folkwang, and the Philharmonie Essen.
Admission to the Kokoschka/Mahler presentation, which is integrated into the permanent exhibition, is free; however, one must book a time slot ticket in advance. The cabinet exhibition presents Kokoschka's testimonies of his love desire, including paintings, drawings, and very personal fans that he made for Alma; the artist referred to them as "love letters in pictorial language." Nevertheless, he did not achieve his goal of binding her to him forever. After a three-year amour fou, Alma quickly gave him the boot and married the architect Walter Gropius.
