From 1910 to 1914 Kokoschka painted a remarkable series of portraits which expose the inner life of his sitters. Alma Mahler (1879 - 1964) was the muse of some of the great early-twentieth-century artists. Klimt fell in love with her but was ultimately spurned and the composer Gustav Mahler was her first husband. Kokoschka was her lover after Mahler's death. The artist met Alma Mahler in April 1912 and they immediately embarked upon a turbulent love affair. He painted several portraits of her and a celebrated oil, 'The Tempest', which depicts the couple together on a stormy sea.