LINZ.- The Lentos exhibition "Margit Palme. The Gaze" offers impressive insights into six decades of work of an outstanding artist from Linz. Margit Palme's female figures assert themselves powerfully and dynamically in a world characterized by patriarchal structures. The exhibition shows around 130 works that revolve around various aspects of womanhood and present them from a female perspective.
In dynamic, sometimes provocative poses, Margit Palme's female figures strive to master their lives with skill and vigor. The artist has been using aquatint etching for more than six decades. This technique requires linear precision and color reduction. Margit Palme translates her image of women, which is based on strength and self-determination, into vivid pictorial metaphors that occasionally contain a dash of irony.
"Palme's unique contribution to women's art lies in her precise observations and studies of the real needs of women. She does not accuse, but points out. Her always self-confident protagonists portray a beautiful, enjoyable life, but also address the challenges of our time. This gives them human traits and makes them figures of identification for us all," emphasizes curator Brigitte Reutner-Doneus.
Over decades of intensive practice, Margit Palme has developed a distinctive, unmistakable personal style that focuses on the special technique of aquatint etching. "Palme's works were presented at the Zurich Biennale and have found their way into important museum collections beyond Austrian borders. This late recognition of her artistic work is an important testimony to her international significance," Lentos Director Hemma Schmutz points out.
In various thematic focuses, Palme's female figures talk about fashion, sport and leisure. However, the artist's watchful eye also falls on the obligation to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic, on addictions, compulsions and fears that are sometimes not easy to overcome.
"With the exhibition 'Margit Palme. The Gaze' is the first major solo museum exhibition by the Linz-based artist, who was awarded the Landeskulturpreis OÖ in 2023. The majority of the works come from the Lentos own collection, which once again demonstrates the high quality of our graphics collection," says Doris Lang- Mayerhofer, City Councillor for Culture, Tourism and Creative Industries.
The exhibition is accompanied by a 272-page catalog book that vividly presents Palme's artistic creative process from the 1950s to the present day. With around 230 illustrations and text contributions by Manuela Ammer, Verena Dengler, Ulrike Müller, Teresa Präauer and Brigitte Reutner-Doneus, the book offers a wide-ranging insight into the artist's women-specific oeuvre.
The varied accompanying program focuses on printing techniques. There will be a printing workshop for everyone (June 9) and a printmaking workshop for adults (June 14), and in a special guided tour of the exhibition, artist Margit Palme and curator Brigitte Reutner-Doneus will talk about the work cycles on display (June 13).
