Oskar Kokoschka. The Prometheus Triptych

The Prometheus Triptych, the most important painting by Oskar Kokoschka in the United Kingdom, will be exhibited for the first time in over a decade. It was commissioned in 1950 by Count Antoine Seilern for the ceiling of his London house at 56 Princes Gate. After his death, the Count bequeathed the triptych, together with his remarkable collection of Old Master paintings, to be displayed at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Prometheus was rarely seen in public during Seilern’s lifetime and because of its enormous size – the three canvases together measure over eight metres wide – it has only been possible to show the work infrequently since his death. However the artist’s fears for the future of his painting, which he thought would be abandoned and misunderstood by “a despicable contemporary world”, have not been realised.

Oskar Kokoschka
The Prometheus Triptych