Maria Lassnig and Edvard Munch

The Hamburger Kunsthalle is for the first time showing works by Austrian artist Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) and Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863–1944) in a major double exhibition. Although separated by half a century, a closer look at the two artists reveals astonishing parallels that make it possible to trace Munch’s influence on Lassnig’s oeuvre and, conversely, to discover new aspects in the work of her predecessor. Furthermore, the works on view offer an intimate glimpse of the two artists’ biographies while painting a multifaceted picture of the period in which they lived. Munch and Lassnig not only shared an idiosyncratic handling of colour as an expressive element; intriguing similarities can also be seen in their lively brushwork and free-form experimentation with painting techniques. Under their artistic gaze, subtle sensations and unique levels of perception are transformed into a new type of imagery. Inner and outer worlds interact to create a keenly felt emotional tension that holds the viewer in its thrall. While Munch focused on major emotions – grief, despair, anxiety, anger, joy – Lassnig devoted herself in particular to physical sensibilities.

The exhibition is being mounted in cooperation with the Kunsthaus Zürich as a collaboration with the Maria Lassnig Foundation in Vienna and the Munchmuseet in Oslo. The extensive show will comprise from 180 to 200 works on loan from international museums and private collections. Paintings, works on paper, sculptures, films and photographs will be presented on two floors of the Galerie der Gegenwart.

An exhibition of the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the Kunsthaus Zürich.