his lack of artistic acceptance, Gerstl entered his studio during the night of 4 November 1908 and apparently burned every letter and piece of paper he could find. Although many paintings survived the fire, it is believed that a great deal of his artwork as well as personal papers and letters were destroyed. Other than his paintings, only eight drawings are known to have survived unscathed. Following the burning of his papers, Gerstl hanged himself in front of the studio mirror and somehow managed to stab himself as well. The incident had a significant impact on Arnold Schoenberg and his "drama with music" (i.e., opera) Die glückliche Hand is based on these events. After his suicide at the age of twenty-five, his family took the surviving paintings out of Gerstl's studio and stored them in a warehouse until his brother Alois showed them to the art dealer Otto Kallir in 1930 or 1931. Although Gerstl had never managed to exhibit a show during his lifetime, Kallir organized an exhibition at his Neue Galerie. Shortly afterward, the Nazi presence in Austria hindered the further acclaim of the artist and it was not until after the war that Gerstl was known in the United States. Sixty-six paintings and eight drawings attributed to Gerstl are known, although it is possible he destroyed many more or that others could have been lost over the years. Selected works Bibliography Stefan Üner: "Richard Gerstl. Früh vollendet, spät entdeckt", in: Parnass, 3/2019, p. 118–124. References External links Biography, Literature and Works by Richard Gerstl 1883 births 1908 deaths 1908 suicides 19th-century Austrian painters 19th-century Austrian male artists 20th-century Austrian painters Austrian male painters Austrian people of Jewish descent Jewish painters People from Josefstadt Painters who committed suicide Suicides by hanging in Austria Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Austrian Expressionist painters 20th-century Austrian male artists