Bracha L. Ettinger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bracha Lichtenberg Ettinger
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| Born | 23 March 1948 |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy, Art, Psychoanalysis |
| Region | Contemporary Art, Western philosophy |
| School | New European Painting Continental philosophy Psychoanalysis |
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Main interests
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Lacanian Psychoanalysis, art, feminist theory, aesthetics, human rights, ethics |
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Notable ideas
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Matrixial gaze, matrixial (matricial) space, transjectivity, transubjectivity, copoiesis, wit(h)nessing, Carriance, ...-into-life, Being towards birthing-with-birth, coemergence, matrixial trans-subjectivity |
Bracha Lichtenberg Ettinger (born March 23, 1948) is an Israeli-French artist, writer, psychoanalyst, and philosopher. She was born in Mandatory Palestine (now Israel). Today, she lives and works in Paris, France.
She is known as a feminist thinker and artist. She is part of the New European Painting movement. Ettinger created the idea of the Matrixial Gaze and other related concepts. These ideas explore how we deal with difficult experiences (trauma), beauty (aesthetics), and right and wrong (ethics).
Bracha Ettinger is a professor at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. She also teaches at GCAS in Dublin. In 2023, she helped choose the artistic director for Documenta's 2027 art show. She later stepped down from this role. She wanted to start a discussion in the art world about ongoing conflicts and loss of life.
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Life and Early Work
Bracha Lichtenberg was born in Tel Aviv on March 23, 1948. Her parents were Jewish-Polish Holocaust survivors. She earned her master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
From 1975 to 1979, she studied and worked in London. She became a British citizen during this time. In 1975, she married Loni Ettinger, but they divorced in 1981. Her daughter, Lana Ettinger, was born in London.
Ettinger returned to Israel in 1979. She had been painting and drawing since she was a child. In 1981, she decided to become a professional artist. She moved to Paris, France, where she lived and worked for many years. Her son, Itai Toker, was born in 1988.
Besides art, she also continued her studies. She earned degrees in Psychoanalysis and the Aesthetics of Art from universities in Paris.
Art Exhibitions and Influence
Ettinger's art has been shown in many important places. She had a solo project at the Pompidou Centre in Paris in 1987. She also had exhibitions at the Museum of Calais in 1988 and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in 1995.
In 2000, a large exhibition of her work was held in Brussels. In 2001, she had a solo show at the Drawing Center in New York. Her art has made her one of the most important artists in New European Painting.
Her art often explores themes like difficult experiences (trauma). She also looks at mothers and women during wartime. She uses figures from mythology like Eurydice, Medusa, Demeter, and Persephone. Her abstract paintings explore light and space. She is inspired by artists like Monet and Rothko.
Ettinger's work also deals with the human condition and the sadness of war. In this way, her art connects with artists like Käthe Kollwitz and Francisco Goya. Her painting process mixes figures with abstract forms. She also creates artist's notebooks that are artworks themselves.
Since 1992, she has mainly created mixed media and oil paintings. Her series like "Matrix — Family Album" and "Eurydice" explore how personal and historical trauma can be passed down through generations. They also look at memory, forgetting, and the Shoah (Holocaust).
Her paintings often feature the female body, womanhood, and motherhood. They are inspired by classical art. She creates abstract spaces that make us think about beauty and the sublime in new ways.
In 2015, she had a solo show at the 14th Istanbul Biennial. In 2018-19, she participated in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018 in India.
Ideas on Psychoanalysis
Bracha Ettinger is a thinker who created a new way to understand the feminine and maternal side of human experience. She believes this side is important for art, caring for others, and being responsible.
She developed the idea of the "matrixial space" and the "matrixial gaze." She first wrote about these ideas in her art notebooks in 1985. Later, she published them in academic papers starting in 1992.
Ettinger suggests that our earliest experiences, even before birth, shape who we become. She believes that the connection between a baby and its mother is very important. This connection forms a special "matrixial space" where "I" and "non-I" (meaning myself and others) are linked without losing their separate identities.
This idea helps us understand how memories and feelings can be passed down through generations. It also helps explain how we connect with others and how art is created. Ettinger's work suggests that deep compassion and a sense of wonder (fascinance) are fundamental human experiences. These feelings can lead to ethical actions and speech.
She believes that in therapy, it's important to recognize the deep connection between people. She calls this "trans-subjectivity." It's a way of sharing and linking that is different from just interacting with others. Her ideas have changed how people think about art, psychoanalysis, and women's studies.
Other Activities and Contributions
Bracha Ettinger is known for her bravery. In 1967, when she was 19, she led a large rescue operation. She helped save young men from the drowning Eilat shipwreck. She was injured during the rescue and later received the highest Air-Force Medal for Heroism.
Ettinger is also a strong supporter of human rights. She believes that Israel and Palestine should coexist peacefully. For decades, she has been a feminist activist for peace. She works with organizations like "Women Make Peace" and "Physicians for Human Rights." She helps Palestinian patients as a senior clinical psychologist.
She is also known for her portrait photography. She takes pictures of famous people during conversations. Some of her portraits, like those of Robert Doisneau and Emmanuel Lévinas, are in official collections.
See also
In Spanish: Bracha Ettinger para niños
- New European Painting
- Feminist Psychoanalysis
- French Feminism
- The Sublime (Jean-François Lyotard)
- 20th century Women Artists
- Écriture féminine
- Gender studies
- Feminist film theory
