until 30 August 2026
Kunsthaus Zürich
in a slightly modified form
2 October 2026 to 21 February 2027
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.
Edvard Munch (1863–1944)
Vampire in the Forest, 1916–1918
Oil on canvas, 149 x 137 cm
Munchmuseet, Oslo
© Munchmuseet, Oslo
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 subtitle of the exhibition, Flow of Paint = Flow of Life, was taken from the title of an artwork by Lassnig that expresses the inseparable interweaving of art and life.
Divided into 13 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue, the exhibition takes visitors on a tour that extends outward from early self-portraits to double portraits, gender relations and more, culminating in the dimension of outer space. Exemplary themes such as images of women, the relationship between humans and animals, nature as an echo chamber, inner visions, hands, sickness and death as well as life cycles form individual stations on this choreographed circuit.
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.
Curators: Dr. Brigitte Kölle (Hamburger Kunsthalle); Prof. Dr. Hans Dieter Huber (Guest Curator); Dr. Sandra Gianfreda (Kunsthaus Zürich) | Assistant Curator: Dr. Johanna Hornauer
Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) Married Couple, 2001
Oil on canvas, 100 x 125 cm Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau Munich, KiCo Collection © Maria Lassnig Foundation / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive catalogue (DISTANZ Verlag, 304 pages, 204 illus., German and English editions) Edited by Brigitte Kölle and Sandra Gianfreda
A comparative study of the Expressionist painters Maria Lassnig and Edvard Munch.
The Austrian artist Maria Lassnig and the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch were equals in the radical and unsparing scrutiny of their own work. Each also had a singular way of handling paint as a powerful medium to express feelings of grief, love, loneliness, trepidation, joy, and pain, and to communicate physical sensations. This richly illustrated volume accompanies the grand dual exhibition of the two exceptional artists’ oeuvres. It presents intimate insights into the artists’ practice, highlighting both parallels and differences between what are arguably two of the most celebrated oeuvres in modern art history. With writings by Andreas Eriksson, Sandra Gianfreda, Sheela Gowda, Johanna Hornauer, Hans Dieter Huber, Siri Hustvedt, Brigitte Kölle, Maria Lassnig, Edvard Munch, Johanna Ortner, Ulrike Ottinger, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Luc Tuymans, and others.
