Oskar Kokoschka
Tilla Durieux (en face)
1920
Crayon lithograph
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett
Until 1911, Tilla Durieux (1880–1971) was one of the stars of Max Reinhardt’s (1873–1943) ensemble at the Deutsches Theater. In the 1910 production of Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex at the Zirkus Schumann, she played the female lead role of Queen Jocasta, a female protagonist who was addressed as a powerful figure by the chorus and the crowd.
Käthe Kollwitz was particularly impressed by the actress during a reading at the Salon Paul Cassirer in 1917. However, Durieux’s stage performances did not meet with her unreserved approval.