Maria Lassnig
Maria Lassnig
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Born 1919 in Carinthia, Austria
Died 2014 in Vienna, Austria
Maria Lassnig is internationally regarded as one of the leading painters of our times. She coined and developed the notion of Körpergefühlsmalerei (body awareness painting) through her practice of visually expressing the subjective feeling of the physical body. Lassnig relied solely on inner sensations for her work, saying: “the only true reality is my feelings, played out within the confines of my body”. There is a palpable tension between the inner world and external representation in her distorted, expressive self-portraits. The artist depicted herself as she felt, resulting in inventive contortions and exaggerations, painted expressively in extraordinary colors.
Although she began her career painting abstract works, she was over time influenced by international movements such as surrealism and cubism, and eventually refined her signature self-representational style — which despite being constantly reinvented, stayed loyal to the theme of translating bodily sensation into a visual language. Through this leitmotif her works touch on many other existential questions such as death, political conflicts, technological progress and family.
Lassnig’s work was revolutionary also in the broader political context of the mid-late 20th century, and she is considered a pioneer of female emancipation in a male-dominated art world. She was the first female professor of painting in the German-speaking world, at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. She also founded the feminist avant-garde group Women/Artist/Filmmakers, Inc. with other female artists working in film, as she also experimented with (animated) film throughout her career. Across media, Lassnig’s work is irreverently honest and revealing, and so visionary that she has greatly influenced subsequent generations of artists.
Lassnig has been the subject of countless retrospectives and exhibitions at major institutions, including the Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana (2024); UCCA, Beijing; (2023), Kunstmuseum Bonn (2022), Albertina, Vienna (2019); Lenbachhaus, Munich (2019); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2019); Kunstmuseum Basel (2018); Tate Liverpool (2016); MoMA PS1, New York (2014); Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (2013); Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle (2013); Museum Ludwig, Cologne (2009); Städelmuseum, Frankfurt am Main (2004), among many others. Lassnig represented Austria at the 39th Venice Biennale in 1980.
Her life’s work has won her many accolades, including the Grand Austrian State Prize, the City of Zurich Roswitha Haftmann Prize, the Rubens Prize of the Town of Siegen, Germany, the City of Frankfurt Max Beckmann Prize, and the 55th Venice Biennale Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement.
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Maria Lassnig is internationally regarded as one of the leading painters of the 20th century. She coined and developed the notion of ’Körpergefühlsmalerei‘ (body awareness painting) through her practice of visually expressing the subjective feeling of the physical body.
Scaffold of the Elites / The Elite Is Always in Danger stands out as one of her more abstract works, addressing themes of power and vulnerability. The artist brought a figure onto the canvas, simultaneously a torso and a gigantic mouth. The contours of the body evoke a mechanism that is under tension and could snap at any moment, depicting the represented elite ’in danger‘. -
Artworks
Maria Lassnig
Schafott der Eliten / Die Elite ist immer in Gefahr (Scaffold of the Elites / The Elite Is Always in Danger), 1995Oil on canvas
200.5 x 150.2 cm
79 x 59.1 inches -
Each drawing is a would-be oil painting, for I never repeat any drawing as an oil painting, they are autonomous. My drawings have more freedom and more mobility in them than the oil paintings because I find a sheet of paper that has to rest on something hard easier to position, be it on my knees, on my belly in bed, on the table, on the floor, on the chair, and I myself can take up all sorts of positions in front of it, which cannot be done at all with a mounted canvas, or only with difficulty. The drawing is closest to the idea.
– Maria Lassnig
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Artworks
Maria Lassnig
Männerbund (Men’s League), 1997Pencil and acrylic on paper
Paper dimensions:
69.6 x 49.6 cm / 27.4 x 19.5 inches
Framed dimensions:
91.8 x 71.7 cm / 36.1 x 28.2 inches%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMaria%20Lassnig%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EM%C3%A4nnerbund%20%28Men%E2%80%99s%20League%29%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1997%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EPencil%20and%20acrylic%20on%20paper%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Etitled%20and%20dated%20recto%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3EPaper%20dimensions%3A%3Cbr/%3E%0A69.6%20x%2049.6%20cm%20/%2027.4%20x%2019.5%20inches%3Cbr/%3E%0AFramed%20dimensions%3A%3Cbr/%3E%0A91.8%20x%2071.7%20cm%20/%2036.1%20x%2028.2%20inches%3C/div%3E -
Artworks
Maria Lassnig
Die befristete Zeit (Limited Time), 1997Pencil and acrylic on paper
Paper dimensions:
62.6 x 44.8 cm / 24.7 x 17.6 inches
Framed dimensions:
81 x 65.9 cm / 31.9 x 26 inches -
Works
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News
Maria Lassnig
'Maria Lassnig and Edvard Munch, The Colours Of Emotion', Hamburger Kunsthalle
March 27 – August 23, 2026 27 March 2026Austrian artist Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) and Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863–1944) will for the first time be the subjects of a major double exhibition. They...Read moreMaria Lassnig
'Global Fascisms' (Group Show), Das Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), Berlin
September 13 – December 7, 2025 12 September 2025The exhibition and research project Global Fascisms critically examines the aesthetic, social, and political dynamics of fascism, questioning its appeal and ideological mechanisms. A key...Read moreMaria Lassnig
'Michael Armitage, Maria Lassnig, Chelenge Van Rampelberg', Kunsthaus Bregenz
July 12 – September 28, 2025 12 July 2025Kunsthaus Bregenz is planning a joint exhibition in cooperation with the Maria Lassnig Foundation in Vienna and the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI). The NCAI...Read moreMaria Lassnig
'Never Final! The Evolving Museum' (Group Show), mumok, Vienna
March 28, 2025 – April 12, 2026 27 March 2025April 26, 1979, marked a milestone for what is now mumok – Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien: the collections of the former 20er Haus...Read moreMaria Lassnig
Book Launch & Talk: Maria Lassnig. „Mein Stil hat Pause“, Secession, Vienna
March 25, 2025 at 7 pm 25 March 2025Together with the Maria Lassnig Foundation, the Vienna Secession invites you to the b ook launch “Maria Lassnig – Mein Stil hat Pause”. In this...Read moreYael Bartana, Martin Kippenberger, Maria Lassnig
'Access Kafka' (Group Show), Jewish Museum Berlin
December 13, 2024 – May 4, 2025 13 December 2024One hundred years after Franz Kafka’s death, the exhibition puts key aspects of his legacy – still relevant today – into dialogue with works of...Read moreAndrea Bowers, Charline von Heyl, Maria Lassnig, Laura Owens, Amy Sillman
'Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection' (Group Show), Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)
October 27, 2024 – April 20, 2025 27 October 2024Making Their Mark brings together more than seventy artworks from the Shah Garg Collection, which is committed to amplifying the voices and visions of women...Read moreMaria Lassnig
'Extreme Tension. Art between Politics and Society Collection of the Nationalgalerie 1945 – 2000' (Group Show), Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
November 18, 2023 – September 28, 2025 18 November 2023The art of the second half of the twentieth century is marked by an enormous diversity of materials, mediums, and methods. At the same time,...Read more
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Exhibitions
25 for 2025
11 January — 15 February 2025ExploreSweet Sixteen
Celebrating 16 years of Capitain Petzel7 June — 3 August 2024On the occasion of Capitain Petzel’s sixteenth anniversary, the gallery is excited to present Sweet Sixteen , a group exhibition celebrating the artists who have been integral to its program...Exploreomelette papier
15 January — 5 March 2022Karla Black, Andrea Bowers, Joe Bradley, Isabella Ducrot, Jadé Fadojutimi, Hadi Fallahpisheh, Anna Gaskell, Georgia Gardner Gray, Stefanie Heinze, Charline von Heyl, Sanya Kantarovsky, Maria Lassnig, Marcel Odenbach, Pieter Schoolwerth,...ExploreRHIZOME 7/7 IRL
21 June — 1 August 2020'A rhizome is characterized by ceaselessly established connections between semiotic chains, organizations of power, and circumstances relative to the arts, sciences, and social struggles.' -Excerpt from A Thousand Plateaus by...ExploreMaria Lassnig
Augensprache. Works on Paper 1974 – 201317 November 2018 — 5 January 2019“Can a thought be shown and peeled off like a skin?”[1] Maria Lassnig Capitain Petzel in cooperation with the Maria Lassnig Foundation is pleased to announce the second solo exhibition...ExploreMaria Lassnig
26 April — 18 June 2013Capitain Petzel is delighted to announce the first solo-exhibition by Maria Lassnig at the gallery in Berlin. Maria Lassnig counts as one of the most important artists of the present...ExploreKunst im Heim
COSIMA VON BONIN, MATTHEW BRANNON, TROY BRAUNTUCH, MARIA BRUNNER, GÜNTHER FÖRG, ANNA GASKELL, WADE GUYTON, MARGARETE JAKSCHIK, MARTIN KIPPENBERGER, MARIA LASSNIG, ZOE LEONARD, JOYCE PENSATO, ASCAN PINCKERNELLE, SETH PRICE, STEPHEN PRINA, SAM SAMORE and ma31 October — 17 December 2008Gisela Capitain and Friedrich Petzel are delighted to announce the inaugural exhibition of Capitain Petzel Berlin at Karl-Marx-Allee 45, a groupshow entitled ‚Kunst im Heim‘. From 1961 to 1964 seven...Explore
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External Exhibitions
Maria Lassnig: Happy Martian, 2023
UCCA Beijing
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Trailer: Mit einem Tiger schlafen
A Film by Anja Salomonowitz -
Press
Hyperallergic: "Maria Lassnig’s Triumphant 'Little Films' "
Ela Bittencourt, 20 February 2024Artnet: "A Biopic of Painter Maria Lassnig Will Have Its World Premiere at the Berlinale"
Kate Brown, 9 February 2024Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "Sehnsuchtsvoll nach Südosten geschaut"
Nicole Scheyerer, 31 January 2024Frankfurter Rundschau: "Maria Lassnig n der Neuen Nationalgalerie Berlin – Ihre bösen Bilder"
Ingeborg Ruthe, 30 January 2024Berliner Zeitung: "Maria Lassnigs „Knödel, Farbhaufen“ und ein mehr als nur moralisches Angebot"
15 December 2023Tagesspiegel: "Spät entdeckt: Maria Lassnigs Kunst"
Christiane Meixner, 18 October 2022Art Plugged: "Maria Lassnig: The Biography"
11 August 2022Der Standard: "Maria Lassnig in Innsbruck: Ein Kopf als Käse, Würfel und Zyklopenauge"
Ivona Jelcic, 8 July 2022Tiroler Tageszeitung: "Die Hand als Waffe zur Selbsterspürung: Maria Lassnig im Ferdinandeum"
Edith Schlocker, 24 June 2022Kunstforum International: "Maria Lassnig. Wach bleiben"
Annelie Pohlen, 1 April 2022FAZ: "Keine Sandkunst mehr" (Maria Lassnig)
4 March 2022Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger: "Er schläft, sie löst sich langsam auf" (Maria Lassnig)
Michael Kohler, 1 October 2021Art Magazine: "Maria Lassnig: Bleistift und Pinsel sind Urzustandswerkzeuge: Keine Gefangene des Stils"
Andrea Schurian, 22 June 2021Border Crossings: "Belle Lettrists: Nicola Tyson, Maria Lassnig, Amy Sillman"
Meeka Walsh, 1 May 2021Tagesspiegel: "Band zu Maria Lassnig: Selbstporträt als niesende Freiheitsstatue"
Esther Buss, 29 March 2021Arte: "Allein im Museum: Maria Lassnig - Woman Power"
4 November 2020Forbes: "The Feminist Artist Who Created The Selfie Nearly 100 Years Ago"
Grace Banks, 5 July 2019Apollo Magazine: "Selfie stick – the many faces of Maria Lassnig"
Gabrielle Schwarz, 5 July 2019The Guardian: "Maria Lassnig: under the skin"
Kathryn Hughes, 14 May 2016Tagesspiegel: "Maria Lassnig, Grande Dame der bildenden Kunst"
Nicola Kuhn, 8 May 2014The New Yorker: "Her"
Andrea K. Scott, 2 March 2014Art in America: "Maria Lassnig’s Body Awareness"
Travis Jeppesen, 14 June 2013
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Video
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Publications
Maria Lassnig
Mein Stil hat Pause, 2024 Claire Hoffmann, 2024Softcover, 344 pagesRead more
Publisher: Scheidegger & Spiess
Dimensions: 17 x 24 cmMaria Lassnig
Am Fenster klebt noch eine Feder, 2023 Maria Lassnig, 2023Read moreMaria Lassnig
Wach Bleiben / Staying Alert, 2022 2022Hardcover, 172 pagesRead more
Publisher: Stefanie Kreuzer, Kunstmuseum Bonn
ISBN: 978-3-86832-681-9
Dimensions: 28,5/22,2/2,3 cmMaria Lassnig
Man muss einsteigen in die Malerei mit beiden Füßen / You have to jump into painting with both feet, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Interview mit Maria Lassnig, 2022 Hans Ulrich Obrist, Peter Pakesch, Hans Werner Poschauko, 2022Kartoniert / Broschiert, 204 pagesRead more
Publisher: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König
Dimensions: 273 x 203 mmMaria Lassnig
Die Zeichnung, 2022 Tiroler Landesmuseen, Peter Pakesch, Peter Assmann, 2022Hardcover, 224 pagesRead more
Publisher: Residenz Verlag
ISBN: 9783701735716
Dimensions: 21.6 x 26.2 cmMaria Lassnig
Film Works (Book & DVD), 2021 2021Read moreMaria Lassnig
Briefe an Hans Ulrich Obrist, 2020 2020Read moreMaria Lassnig
Ways of Being, 2019 2019Read moreMaria Lassnig
Dialogues, 2017 2017Read moreMaria Lassnig
The Future Is Invented with Fragments from the Past, 2017 2017Read moreMaria Lassnig
Woman Power, 2016 2016Read moreMaria Lassnig
Werke, Tagebücher & Schriften, 2015 2015Read moreMaria Lassnig
Im Möglichkeitsspiegel. Aquarelle und Zeichnungen von 1947 bis heute, 2009 2009Read moreMaria Lassnig
2009 2009Read moreMaria Lassnig
Das neunte Jahrzehnt, 2009 2009HardcoverRead more
Publisher: MUMOK and Verlag: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König
ISBN: 978-3-86560-601-3Maria Lassnig
Serpentine Gallery, 2008 2008Read moreMaria Lassnig
Two or Three of Something, 2006 2006Read moreMaria Lassnig
Körperbilder, 2006 2006Read moreMaria Lassnig
Body - Fiction - Nature, 2005 2005Read moreMaria Lassnig
Paintings, 2004 2004Read moreMaria Lassnig
Körperporträts, 2002 2002Read moreMaria Lassnig
Bilder 1989-2001, 2001 2001Read moreMaria Lassnig
The Pen is the Sister of the Brush. Diaries 1943 - 1997, 2000 2000Read moreMaria Lassnig
Katalog zur Ausstellung: Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, 1999 1999Read moreMaria Lassnig
Be-Ziehungen und Malflüsse, 1997 1997 Read moreMaria Lassnig
Maria Lassnig, 1997 1997Read moreMaria Lassnig
Das Innere Auch Aussen, 1994 1994Read more
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