Born in Vienna in 1906, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky studied art in her home city, as well as in Paris, Berlin, and Frankfurt. She was a student of Max Beckmann, whose influence remained a significant force in her development as a painter. Following the rise of the Nazi regime, she fled Austria in 1938, eventually settling in Britain, where she became a naturalized citizen in 1948.

Her body of work is characterized by a psychological depth and a distinct, often somber, color palette. She frequently focused on portraiture, including intimate depictions of her mother, as well as self-portraits and still lifes that reflected her experiences of exile and displacement. Her practice remained largely independent of mainstream art movements, allowing her to maintain a unique aesthetic voice throughout her career.

While her work was historically overshadowed by her contemporaries, recent years have seen a renewed interest in her contribution to 20th-century European art. Her paintings are held in major international collections, and she continues to be recognized as a significant figure within the context of Austrian Expressionism and the history of refugee artists in Britain.