Maria Lassnig and Edvard Munch. Flow of Paint = Flow of Life

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 the two artists are separated by half a century, they show some astounding parallels that allow us to trace Munch’s influence on Lassnig’s oeuvre and, conversely, to discover new aspects in the work of her predecessor. Nearly 200 paintings, works on paper, sculptures, films and photographs are presented on two floors of the Galerie der Gegenwart. They include famous paintings such as Edvard Munch’s Madonna (1893–1895) and lesser-known works such as Traditionskette (1983) by Maria Lassnig, which plays a key role in the show.

The exhibits provide insights into 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 at the Hamburger Kunsthalle is being mounted in cooperation with the Kunsthaus Zürich – the two museums with the largest Munch collections outside Oslo – and in collaboration with the Maria Lassnig Foundation in Vienna and the Munchmuseet in Oslo. Works brought together for the first time from these institutions are supplemented by loans from other international museums and private collections.

An exhibition of the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the Kunsthaus Zürich.