Goddesses of Art Nouveau
The exhibition traced the fascinating and multifaceted world of Art Nouveau with all its ambivalences and also showed that fundamental questions have not lost their relevance today. The approximately 200 objects from important collections in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany invited visitors to enjoy and reflect in equal measure.
Together with neo.studio neumann schneider architekten (exhibition architecture) I designed the exhibition graphics.
The special exhibition of the Badisches Landesmuseum was created in cooperation with the Allard Pierson in Amsterdam and the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum.
The exhibition architecture is based on the graphic elements of Art Nouveau and also features rounded, organic forms.
The exhibition architecture is based on the graphic elements of Art Nouveau and also features rounded, organic forms.
Elegant, curved lines float on the walls in contrasting colors and guide visitors from one room to the next. They are reminiscent of the fluid forms of Art Nouveau. Oversized collages consisting of historical photographs, quotes and explanatory texts provide a further level of depth to the socio-historical context of the period.
Around 1900, fundamental innovations in technology and science challenged the previous image of humanity. Progress clashed with tradition, research with faith. A young generation of artists now began to reflect on man and society in their works. In addition to the femme fatale, women from medieval legends and ancient mythology also provided inspiration.
Around 1900, life in modern cities was pulsating: theaters and vaudeville, cafés and cinemas offered entertainment, the metro and streetlights changed the cityscape. The middle class gave rise to an affluent public, and the first department stores turned consumption into an experience. Modern advertising also aroused desires. Art Nouveau was also part of this consumer world and had a decisive influence on the products and graphics of the time.
Women strove for education, independence and a career. They championed claims far removed from traditional roles and conquered their rights - against all resistance. However, they were denied a political voice, and it was not until 1918 that they were granted the right to vote in Germany.
Dazzling world stars such as Sarah Bernhardt and Loïe Fuller achieved great fame on the international stage. They are immortalized on numerous posters and in products, and were already aggressively marketing themselves back then. To this day, they are considered the great icons of Art Nouveau.
However, the far greater number of female Art Nouveau artists worked mainly in the shadow of their male colleagues, in their workshops and in artistic associations. Although art schools were increasingly opening up to women, they continued to struggle with disadvantages. Painting and sculpture were often inaccessible to them. For this reason, women were often active in the applied arts, such as commercial art, ceramics and photography.
Women made important contributions to the art of Art Nouveau and sometimes ran extremely successful businesses. However, to this day they are hardly known by name, if at all. The exhibition therefore presented various life paths and also wanted to offer a stage to those female artists who have so far had little presence in research and museums.
Digital kann man die Ausstellung noch immer besuchen: Göttinnen des Jugendstils to go.
