Maria Lassnig facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Lassnig
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| Born | 8 September 1919 Kappel am Krappfeld, Carinthia, Austria
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| Died | 6 May 2014 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Known for | Painting |
| Awards | Grand Austrian State Prize (1988), Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award (2013) |
Maria Lassnig (born September 8, 1919 – died May 6, 2014) was a famous Austrian artist. She was best known for her painted self-portraits. She also developed a special idea called "body awareness" in her art.
Maria Lassnig made history in 1988. She became the first female artist to win the Grand Austrian State Prize. In 2005, she also received the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art. From 1980 until she passed away, Lassnig lived and taught art in Vienna.
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Maria Lassnig's Early Life
Maria Lassnig was born in Kappel am Krappfeld, Austria. This was on September 8, 1919. Her mother raised her, but Maria spent most of her childhood with her grandmother. This was because her mother's marriage was difficult. Maria studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. This was during World War II.
Maria Lassnig's Art and Style
Maria Lassnig helped bring new art styles to Austria after the war. These styles included Informalism and Tachisme. In the 1950s, she was part of an art group called Hundsgruppe ("Dog Pack"). Other artists in this group included Arnulf Rainer and Ernst Fuchs. Their art was inspired by abstract expressionism. This style focused on expressing feelings through colors and shapes.
In 1951, Lassnig went to Paris with Arnulf Rainer. They held an art show there. In Paris, she met famous artists and poets. Even though she started with abstract art, Maria always painted self-portraits. One early one was Expressive Self-Portrait (1945). She painted it soon after leaving Vienna.
Body Awareness in Her Art
In 1948, Maria Lassnig created the idea of "body consciousness." In German, she called it Körpergefühlmalerei. This meant she only painted parts of her body that she could actually feel while working. Because of this, many of her self-portraits look unusual. They might show figures with missing body parts. Or they might use strange, unnatural colors.
These unique forms and colors helped show her "body awareness." For example, red was often a very important color in her paintings. It sometimes showed pain. But it could also mean strong feelings or strain. By the 1960s, Lassnig stopped painting abstract art. She focused completely on the human body and mind. She created hundreds of self-portraits after this time. In the 1970s and 1980s, she often painted herself with objects or animals. Her gaze was often hidden, showing her inner thoughts.
Life in New York and Teaching
From 1968 to 1980, Lassnig lived in New York City. She studied animated film there. She made six short films, like Selfportrait (1971). Her most famous film is Kantate (1992). She made this film when she was 73 years old. Kantate is like a film self-portrait, with songs and music.
In 1980, she returned to Vienna. She became a professor at the Vienna University of Applied Arts. This made her the first female painting professor in a German-speaking country. She taught there until 1997. In 1997, she also published a book of her drawings. It was called Die Feder ist die Schwester des Pinsels. This means The Pen is the Sister of the Paintbrush. She kept painting, and in 2008, she made You or Me. This painting shows her bold and direct style.
In 2013, Maria Lassnig received a special award. It was the Golden Lion Award for her lifetime achievements. She received it at the 55th Venice Biennale.
Maria Lassnig's Exhibitions
Maria Lassnig started getting wide recognition later in her career. This was especially true in Europe. In 1980, she represented Austria at the Venice Biennale. A big show of her work was held in 1996. This was at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. She also took part in documenta in 1982 and 1997.
In 2008, her recent paintings were shown at the Serpentine Gallery. This show also traveled to the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. It featured thirty paintings and seven films.
Later solo exhibitions included:
- It's art that keeps one ever young in Munich, Germany (2010).
- Maria Lassnig. Films in New York City (2011).
- The Location of Pictures in Graz (2012) and Hamburg (2013).
MoMA PS1 in New York held a major exhibition in 2014. Many of these works had not been seen in the United States before. It included 50 paintings, films, and watercolors. They continue to show her films, like in the 2018 exhibition Maria Lassnig: New York Films 1970-1980.
Since her death in 2014, her work has been shown in many places. These include Barcelona (2015), Tate Liverpool (2016), and the Albertina in Vienna (2017). Her art was also part of the 2022 exhibition Women Painting Women. This was at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Maria Lassnig's Art Collections
Maria Lassnig's artworks are kept in important collections. These include the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Albertina museum in Vienna also owns many of her paintings.
Maria Lassnig's Legacy
Critics say that Maria Lassnig's work has influenced many artists today. Some of these artists include Nicole Eisenman and Amy Sillman.
The Maria Lassnig Foundation was started in 2015. Its goal is to share her many artworks. It also works to make sure her artistic legacy is remembered for a long time.
Maria Lassnig's Awards and Recognition
- Creative Artists Public Service Program Fellowship (1973/1974)
- Grand Austrian State Prize for Visual Arts (1988)
- Honorary doctor, University of Klagenfurt (1999 / 2013)
- Roswitha Haftmann Prize (2002)
- Rubens Prize of the City of Siegen (2002)
- Max Beckmann Prize (2004)
- Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (2005)
- Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 55th Venice Biennial (2013)
Images for kids
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Painting "Dicke Grüne" (Fat Green), 1961
See also
In Spanish: Maria Lassnig para niños
