Elisabeth Leopold, the well-known art collector who inspired the creation of one of the largest museums of Viennese Modernism, has died at the age of 98.

Her family and the Leopold Museum confirmed the news on Wednesday.

Born on 3 March 1926 in Vienna, Elisabeth Leopold met her future husband Rudolf Leopold during her medical studies. The couple married in 1953 and went on to amass one of the most significant collections of Viennese Modernism, now housed in the Leopold Museum.

Together, they assembled a collection of over 5,000 pieces. The collection includes the world’s largest set of works by Egon Schiele, as well as significant pieces by Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka and Albin Egger-Lienz.

In 1994, the collection was entrusted to a foundation with the stipulation that the Austrian government would construct a museum to house it. The Leopold Museum subsequently opened in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier in 2001.

Over the years, the couple also navigated several restitution cases concerning Schiele’s works, such as “Portrait of Wally” and “Houses by the Sea.” To fulfil settlement agreements, the museum was required to sell other Schiele pieces.

Following her husband’s death in 2010, Leopold continued to play a pivotal role as a lifelong board member of the Leopold Museum Private Foundation. However, due to her advancing years, she stepped down from this position two years ago.

Leopold was also actively involved in curatorial efforts at the museum, co-curating exhibitions such as the provocative “Naked Men” show in 2012, which caused a controversy with its depiction of male nudity on promotional posters.

Austria’s Secretary of State for Culture, Andrea Mayer, praised Leopold as a “central figure in the Austrian art world,” adding that her legacy will leave a lasting mark on the nation’s museum landscape.