Hamburger Kunsthalle

For the first time, Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) and Edvard Munch (1863–1944) are presented together in a large double exhibition. At first glance, more than half a century separates the Austrian artist — whose works the Hamburger Kunsthalle had early on acquired as the first German museum — from the Norwegian painter, about whom the Kunsthalle holds a large collection of paintings and works on paper. And yet there are remarkable parallels between their works and biographies. In a thematic juxtaposition, their oeuvre becomes newly legible. Both are united by a unique treatment of color as a shaping medium and as a powerful expressive element for the inner life: for emotions such as sorrow, love, loneliness, fear, joy, or pain. At the same time, it is often overlooked bodily sensations and levels of perception that come into focus here, artistically reflected and thus give rise to distinctive imagery. For Lassnig as for Munch, painting was more than just an artistic technique. It was a form of self-examination and inquiry into the world. The exhibition comprises over 180 works, including several major pieces, but also paintings that are shown only rarely, impressive works on paper as well as films, photographs and a sculpture.

For the first time, Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) and Edvard Munch (1863–1944) are being shown together in a major dual exhibition. At first glance, more than half a century separates the Austrian artist – whose works the Hamburger Kunsthalle acquired early on as the first German museum to do so – and the Norwegian painter – of whom the Kunsthalle possesses a large collection of paintings and works on paper. And yet, there are astonishing parallels between their works and biographies. Their oeuvres become newly readable in a thematic juxtaposition.

SCULPTURAL

In the context of the Triennale of Photography, the exhibition »BUT I | THE WORLD | I SEE | YOU« presents works by 40 international artists from different generations. They all reveal folds in the content of photographs: details that reveal something about an image and uncover the historical sediments each time. *Rémy Zaugg

»Isa Mona Lisa« is the ironically playful title of a major exhibition that offers vivid insights into contemporary art through special positions of international contemporary artists. The title is taken from a photograph of the same name by Wolfgang Tillmans (1968) featuring his artist colleague Isa Genzken (1948), both of whom are also represented with works in the exhibition. The selected exhibits – including paintings, drawings, photographs, and installations – are presented throughout the entire ground floor of the Galerie der Gegenwart.