From one of the most influential European artists of the last forty years, ‘Mach Dich hübsch!’ is the first major retrospective of Isa Genzken ever in the Netherlands. In collaboration with Spaces, Stedelijk museum brings you the Breakfast Exhibition at Stedelijk, which you will hear a talk from business director Karin van Gilst, breakfast and a guided tour of seminal artist Isa Genzken’s work.
About the EXHIBITION
The exhibition Mach Dich hübsch! Provides an overview of the idiosyncratic work of Isa Genzken (Germany, 1948). Genzken is considered one of the most influential post-war European artists. The exhibition is the first retrospective of her work in the Netherlands. The innovative drive and inventiveness of her work, which is full of autobiographical elements and subtle social commentaries, is a reference point and source of inspiration for generations of artists and art lovers.
Genzken’s work is founded on the sculpture and is characterised by radical innovation and the free use of media. During this time she is going to play an increasingly broad artistic field. She makes three-dimensional works, photographs, paintings, collages, drawings, installations, artist’s books, film and sculpture in public space. With more than 200 objects, this is one of the largest exhibitions of her work ever.
JOURNEY THROUGH 40 YEARS OF COURAGE AND RESOURCEFULNESS
Mach Dich hübsch! Is an adventurous journey through forty years of artistic daring and ingenuity. In the first room you can see the latest work Genzken made especially for this presentation. The space is decorated by the artist herself as a comprehensive system. In the halls, Genzken’s work is not presented chronologically, but as a montage in which just go to show clearly the links and thematic lines through the years. Themes such as modernity, body, (self-) portrait, sexual identity, architecture and urban culture are discussed.
ISA GENZKEN AND the URBAN environment
Genzken has a special relationship with Amsterdam. She visited the Museum many times in her youth and had one of her first exhibitions in an Amsterdam gallery. The museum has collected her work since 1985 and owns several key works from her oeuvre.
Beatrix Ruf, director of the Stedelijk Museum, says the artist’s, ”radical innovation and ingenuity signs the work of Isa Genzken. From her early computer calculated sculptures from the 70s until her subsequent composite works – Isa Genzken has proven to be an influential artist who explores the boundaries of artistic media and continues to redefine her own aesthetics. The exhibition at the Stedelijk presents one of the most comprehensive reviews of Genzken’s oeuvre ever. We are very proud of the work of this artist, who has so much influence on young artists with which the Municipal relationships show. The exhibition underlines the mission of the Capital to introduce significant artists to a wider audience. ”
Do you want to discover Isa Genzken’s work? Join us on our breakfast exhibition at the Stedelijk museum on the 18th February, where you will receive a guided tour of the exhibition, breakfast and a talk from Stedelijk Museum’s business director, Karin van Gilst.
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