TURMOIL HANS HARTUNG AND MARIA VMIER

With Collection+, the Sammlung Moderne Kunst (Modern Art Collection) in the Pinakothek der Moderne has been presenting works from its holdings since 2019. New acquisitions, discoveries and thematic focuses show the diversity of the holdings in collaboration with partners and foundations.

TURMOIL features works by Franco-German artist Hans Hartung (1904–1989) shown in dialogue with the art of German artists Maria VMier (b. 1985).

Hans Hartung, pioneer of European Art Informel and lyrical abstraction, understood line as an expression of energy and much less as a notation of form. His repeated, rapid yet controlled lines evoke a sense of rhythm, expressivity, and power. Through the interplay of gestural brushstrokes and innovative use of material and technique, he created pulsating, dynamic compositions, whose aura of paradoxical calm-in-motion continues to influence painters working today.

While Maria VMier’s gestural mode of painting certainly acknowledges Hartung’s legacy, they broaden their painterly vocabulary with their own independent, contemporary approach, influenced by their exploration of body politics and their study of sculpture. VMier’s large-format works on paper create the impression of bodies in constant motion, peeling through abstraction to reveal the figure. Their gestural, overlapping, and condensed lines give a sense of three-dimensional depth that is reminiscent of sculptural forms such as the figura serpentinata – a spiral motif rediscovered in the Renaissance.

In the current presentation of TURMOIL, the pulsating energies of Hartung and VMier merge into a common line of flight. Past and present are fused together, with viewers invited to explore the interaction of line and gesture and to experience the sense of restlessness, be it in the creative process or in the act of viewing.

In association with the Written Art Collection.

Curator: Judith Csiki