Maria Lassnig’s colors and subjects are instantly recognizable, whether you see her at the MoMA in New York, Vienna’s Albertina gallery or, from today (15.09.2022), at Gutshaus Steglitz. Lassnig, the great Austrian artist, painted herself into art history with her body-consciousness pictures. She did not paint what she or others saw; she painted what she felt. The result is countless self-portraits of a woman who feels, whether it’s growing older or experiencing doubt, pain or anger. These emotional states are given a palette of shrill green-yellow, rich purple and an incomparable pink that transmutes into all conceivable hues on the skin of her figures. Gutshaus Steglitz is now dedicating a solo exhibition to Lassnig – the first in Berlin in over 20 years. On show are works from the collection of Lassnig’s former gallery owner Helmut Klewan, who remembers their time together well. It was almost impossible to get hold of a painting by Lassnig, so attached was she to her pictures. In the end – and fortunately for us – Klewan was finally able to convince her to share her highly influential work.
Text: Laura Storfner / Credit: Maria Lassnig Stiftung, Foundation; VG Bild-Kunst Bonn 2022
Maria Lassnig – works from the Klewan Collection at Gutshaus Steglitz, Schlossstr.48, 12165 Berlin–Steglitz; map
Until 26.02.2023 Mon–Sun 10–18h. Opening 15.09.2022 from 18h.
@kulturhaus.schwartzsche.villa
