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The Hessen Kassel Heritage Museum pays tribute to female artists and the Art Informel movement of the 1950s and 1960s with its InformELLEs exhibition. It features three works by the French-Hungarian artist Judit Reigl, on loan from Galerie Dina Vierny.31 octobre 2024
Portrait of the artist © Photos Philippe Boudreaux The exhibition highlights the often-overlooked contributions of women to Art Informel. Despite their significant influence, they have been marginalized in an art-historical narrative dominated by male artists. This marginalization is especially evident in Art Informel, a movement that emphasized spontaneous expression and a break from classical forms. While artists like Jean Fautrier and Pierre Soulages are commonly associated with this movement, women exploring similar artistic practices often remain invisible. Their crucial role in the evolution of this movement, marked by a departure from established norms to create free, intuitive, and innovative works, allowed them to develop a personal expression, often using unconventional materials or abstract gestures. Far from secondary, their work enriched the diversity of the movement; their exclusion from dominant narratives reflects a historiographical bias, not a lack of innovation.
Exhibition view, Judit Reigl, "Ecriture en masse" (left) & "Centre de dominance" (middle) © Bernd Schoelzchen
Exhibition view, Judit Reigl, "Centre de dominance", 1959, 156,5 x 179 cm, oil on canvas © Bernd Schoelzchen
Today, the re-evaluation of their work through more inclusive research reveals their essential contribution to expanding the artistic vocabulary of the era. The exhibition presents more than 80 outstanding works by 16 female artists, including Maria Lassnig, Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff, Judit Reigl, Mary Bauermeister, and Marie-Louise von Rogister. Galerie Dina Vierny is proud to have lent three of Judit Reigl's works to the Hessen Kassel Heritage Museum for this exhibition.
Judit Reigl, Guano, 1958-61, 31 x 45, mixed media, Copyright Gallery Dina Vierny © Jean-Louis Losi, 2021
After a period exploring surrealism from 1950 to 1954, Judit Reigl turned to Art Informel. Her work Centre of Dominance (1959) is a prime example of this shift. In contrast to Écriture en masse (1956), which expressed an outward-directed energy, Centre of Dominance focuses this force in the heart of the canvas. Circular movements, sometimes accompanied by intense pictorial compression, create an impression of concentration and controlled tension. Gesture becomes a means of direct communication, with each brushstroke or hand movement reflecting the immediate link between the artist and the canvas. The textures, alternating between dense areas and freer spaces, reinforce the impression of continuous motion and energy converging on a specific point on the canvas. In addition to the artworks, the exhibition delves deeply into the biographical influences of the female artists and the dynamics of the art world. The networks and relationships that played a crucial role in their journey toward an individual artistic identity are explored, as well as their participation in exhibitions and the influence of academic discourse on public perception of their work.
Today, the re-evaluation of their work through more inclusive research reveals their essential contribution to expanding the artistic vocabulary of the era. The exhibition presents more than 80 outstanding works by 16 female artists, including Maria Lassnig, Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff, Judit Reigl, Mary Bauermeister, and Marie-Louise von Rogister. Galerie Dina Vierny is proud to have lent three of Judit Reigl's works to the Hessen Kassel Heritage Museum for this exhibition.
Portrait of the artist © Photos Philippe Boudreaux The Hessen Kassel Heritage Museum pays tribute to female artists and the Art Informel movement of the 1950s and 1960s with its InformELLEs exhibition. It features three works by the French-Hungarian artist Judit Reigl, on loan from Galerie Dina Vierny.
The exhibition highlights the often-overlooked contributions of women to Art Informel. Despite their significant influence, they have been marginalized in an art-historical narrative dominated by male artists. This marginalization is especially evident in Art Informel, a movement that emphasized spontaneous expression and a break from classical forms. While artists like Jean Fautrier and Pierre Soulages are commonly associated with this movement, women exploring similar artistic practices often remain invisible. Their crucial role in the evolution of this movement, marked by a departure from established norms to create free, intuitive, and innovative works, allowed them to develop a personal expression, often using unconventional materials or abstract gestures. Far from secondary, their work enriched the diversity of the movement; their exclusion from dominant narratives reflects a historiographical bias, not a lack of innovation.
Today, the re-evaluation of their work through more inclusive research reveals their essential contribution to expanding the artistic vocabulary of the era. The exhibition presents more than 80 outstanding works by 16 female artists, including Maria Lassnig, Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff, Judit Reigl, Mary Bauermeister, and Marie-Louise von Rogister. Galerie Dina Vierny is proud to have lent three of Judit Reigl's works to the Hessen Kassel Heritage Museum for this exhibition.
Judit Reigl, Guano, 1958-61, 31 x 45, mixed media, Copyright Gallery Dina Vierny © Jean-Louis Losi, 2021
After a period exploring surrealism from 1950 to 1954, Judit Reigl turned to Art Informel. Her work Centre of Dominance (1959) is a prime example of this shift. In contrast to Écriture en masse (1956), which expressed an outward-directed energy, Centre of Dominance focuses this force in the heart of the canvas. Circular movements, sometimes accompanied by intense pictorial compression, create an impression of concentration and controlled tension. Gesture becomes a means of direct communication, with each brushstroke or hand movement reflecting the immediate link between the artist and the canvas. The textures, alternating between dense areas and freer spaces, reinforce the impression of continuous motion and energy converging on a specific point on the canvas. In addition to the artworks, the exhibition delves deeply into the biographical influences of the female artists and the dynamics of the art world. The networks and relationships that played a crucial role in their journey toward an individual artistic identity are explored, as well as their participation in exhibitions and the influence of academic discourse on public perception of their work.
