Grisebach is pleased to present the exhibition "MEMENTO MARY" by Mary Bauermeister (1934 Frankfurt am Main) from 21 June. The exhibition includes works from 1958 to 2016 and Bauermeister is now regarded as one of the key German post-war artists.
Some of the more than thirty works on display are part of Bauermeister's estate in Rösrath in the Rhineland and are on loan to us for the exhibition. This enables us to provide an overview of the diverse work of this extraordinary artist.
The exhibits include early expansive, sculptural installations such as "Howevercall" from 1964, as well as her characteristic stone swirls, the microcosmic, glass lens boxes and the light and patchwork cloths in the tradition of Arte Povera. Bauermeister usually uses organic materials such as stones, wood, sand, fibres or wax and combines found and constructed elements to create intuitive arrangements. Geometric formations such as snails, pyramids and spirals are leitmotifs throughout her work.
Mary Bauermeister studied at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm under Max Bill and at the Staatliche Schule für Kunst und Gestaltung in Saarbrücken under Otto Steinert.
She was a co-founder of the FLUXUS movement and her Cologne studio at Lintgasse 28 was a meeting place for artists such as Nam June Paik, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, George Brecht, Otto Piene, Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker, where concerts with experimental music, readings, exhibitions, performances and happenings were organised. Bauermeister established herself as an international artist at the beginning of the 1960s after moving to New York and acquiring works from renowned museums such as the Museum of Modern Art. Her work has been undergoing a major rediscovery in recent years.
Bauermeister lives and works in Rösrath. Her works can be found in the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum and the MOMA in New York, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, among others.