Born as Bronislawa Pineles in former Galicia in 1863, Broncia Koller-Pinell moved to Vienna with her parents at the age of seven. From 1881 on she attended classes at the sculptor Josef Raab, later at Alois Delug. In 1888 she showed her works for the first time at the international art exhibition in Vienna, then went to Munich for two years where she studied at Ludwig Herterich. After her return to Vienna she moved into a studio, located in the Piaristengasse, and married the doctor and physicist Hugo Koller in 1896. Later the married couple asked Josef Hoffmann to rebuild a country house in Oberwaltersdorf that they bought in 1904. The house became a popular meeting place of artists and the intelligentsia, such as Zülow, Mahler, Broch and Schiele. In 1908 Koller joined the “Kunstschau-Gruppe” and participated in their exhibitions. The lively communication with artists such as Schiele and Faistauer, as well as several journeys within Europe from 1914 on, enabled her intensive studies of the newest art movements. Although her work was often faced with strong criticism, Broncia Koller-Pinell today is regarded as one of the most important Austrian female artists.