Maria Lassnig and Edvard Munch

For the first time, Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) and Edvard Munch (1863–1944) are being shown together in a major double exhibition. At first glance, more than half a century separates the Austrian artist—whose works were purchased early on by the Kunsthalle as the first German museum to do so—and the Norwegian painter—of whom the Hamburger Kunsthalle owns a large collection of paintings and works on paper. And yet there are astonishing parallels between their works and biographies. The thematic juxtaposition allows their work to be read in a new light. 

Both artists share a unique approach to colour as a creative medium and a powerful means of expressing inner emotions such as grief, love, loneliness, fear, joy, and pain. At the same time, it is often unnoticed physical sensations and levels of perception that come into focus here, are reflected artistically, and thus give rise to idiosyncratic images.

For both Lassnig and Munch, painting was more than just an artistic technique. It was a form of self-questioning and questioning of the world. Their works show inner and outer states that have an immediate emotional effect. The subtitle of the exhibition, »Malfluss = Lebensfluss« (Painting Flow = Life Flow), comes from a painting by Maria Lassnig. It illustrates the inseparable connection between art and life.

The exhibition comprises over 180 works, including major works as well as rarely shown paintings and impressive works on paper, along with films by Lassnig, photographs, and a sculpture. 

An exhibition by the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the Kunsthaus Zürich.

Curators

• Dr. Brigitte Kölle, Curator and Head of contemporary art, Hamburger Kunsthalle
• Prof. Dr. Hans Dieter Huber, Guest Curator
• Dr. Sandra Gianfreda, Curator Kunsthaus Zürich

Assistant Curator

• Noura Persophone Johnson (November 2023 - October 2025)
• Dr. Johanna Hornauer (from March 2025)

School formats in the exhibition