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Exhibitions

Exhibition

La vie en rose. Brueghel, Monet, Twombly

Exhibition

Nicole Eisenman. What Happened

Permanent exhibition

From Andy Warhol to Kara Walker. Scenes from the Collection

Permanent exhibition

Cy Twombly at Museum Brandhorst

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Info
Nicole Eisenman

From Success to Obscurity

  • Year2004
  • MaterialOil on canvas
  • Dimensions101.6 x 129.5 cm
  • On viewBasement floor
  • Copyright© Nicole Eisenman. Hall Collection. Courtesy Hall Art Foundation. Photo: Bryan Conley

More about the artwork

Today we know of Nicole Eisenman’s phenomenal and ongoing success. But in the early 2000s, she agonized over the scenario of a descent “From Success to Obscurity”, which is also the title of her idiosyncratic self-portrait. In it, Ben Grimm alias The Thing from Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” comic series features as the artist’s alter ego. It’s a curious yet apt choice, because no matter how thick the creature’s skin, it still looks hurt. In the American comic series, Grimm finds it hard to come to terms with his heroic transformation, for his colossal muscularity and monstrous appearance make him not only a superhero, but also a feared societal outsider. His story is interpreted as a modern rephrasing of the Jewish Golem myth, especially since his physical appearance is directly inspired by depictions of the clay creature. Readers and fans had long suspected the Jewish identity of The Thing, and in 2002, it was explicitly discussed in the plot of a new comic book in the series—another connection to Eisenman’s biography.

Further artworks

Werkabbildung Cy Twombly, Bacchanalia - Fall (5 Days in October), 1977 im Museum Brandhorst in München Teil der Sammlung Brandhorst
Cy Twombly Bacchanalia – Fall (5 Days in October), 1977 Ground floor
Skultpur der Künstlers Cy Twombly aus weißen gips in rechteckiger Form mit farbigen Blumeartigen Elementen
Cy Twombly Untitled (Lexington), 2001 Upper floor
Siebdruck eines Portraits von Marilyn Monroe auf goldener, runder Leinwand.
Andy Warhol Round Marilyn, 1962 Ground floor
Cy Twombly Untitled, 1958 Upper floor
Rückenansicht einer Person, die eine andere Person im Computerbildschirm betrachtet
Nicole Eisenman Long Distance, 2015 Basement floor