“It was with deep sadness that I heard that Elisabeth Leopold had passed away. Her death represents a serious loss for the Austrian art and culture world. On behalf of the entire Leopold Museum team, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the Leopold family. Together with her husband Rudolf, Elisabeth Leopold campaigned emphatically and persuasively for the recognition of Austrian modernism around Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Even after her husband’s death, she campaigned for the appreciation of the collection and the recognition of the collector’s associated achievements. Numerous well-attended international exhibitions with works from the Leopold Collection, especially on Egon Schiele and his time, including in the USA, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy, contributed to the global reputation of Vienna’s art around 1900. The Leopold Museum as a stage for the collection is the legacy of Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold carved in stone. The museum’s ongoing and ever-growing success since its opening in 2001 is the best proof that the Leopold Museum and the Leopold Collection have become an indispensable part of the Austrian cultural landscape in the 24 years of its existence.”
