Dr. Katherine Crawford Luber Mia’s Nivin and Duncan MacMillan Director & President | Minneapolis Institute Of Art
Dr. Katherine Crawford Luber Mia’s Nivin and Duncan MacMillan Director & President | Minneapolis Institute Of Art
At the center of a new exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is Egon Schiele’s 1913 painting, "The Sawmill." The artwork, rarely seen and on loan from a private foundation, depicts a mill surrounded by timber and symbolizes the Austro-Hungarian Empire's decline.
The exhibition, titled “Timber! Art and Woodwork at the Fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,” showcases two potential outcomes for the sawmill's timber: a wooden bridge in another Schiele painting and avant-garde furniture designed by Josef Hoffmann. It presents an ecocritical perspective on Schiele's work, highlighting the chaotic origins that influenced Hoffmann’s designs.
Max Bryant, James Ford Bell Associate Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture at Mia, stated, “The Sawmill is a painting that speaks to our contemporary concerns with resource extraction, imperial collapse, and peripheral labor.”
The exhibition combines landscapes by Schiele with modernist design and decorative arts. It highlights works by Gebrüder Thonet, whose innovations in bentwood furniture redefined European design. The exhibit also explores wood's role in modern design for its carbon-retaining properties.
Visitors can experience an environment rich in texture and color, encouraging reflection on historical design. Each day concludes with music from Mahler’s Third Symphony played in the gallery.
Running from August 30, 2025 to January 11, 2026 at Mia's Cargill Gallery, this free exhibition invites audiences to explore materials and ideologies shaping visual culture during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
For more information about Mia and its offerings, visit www.artsmia.org or call +1 612 870 3000.
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