Heavy Mädel
Information about the artwork
- Year2009
- MaterialCoins, pigments, acrylic, and oil on paper
- Dimensions273.1 x 182.9 cm
- Year of acquisition2018
- Inventory numberUAB 1110
- On viewCurrently not exhibited
- Copyright© the artist. photo: Museum Brandhorst, Bavarian State Collections, 2022
More about the artwork
In 2009, shortly after the financial crisis began, Kerstin Brätsch started working on a series of coin paintings. “Heavy Mädel” is one of the first two works in this series. Onto a dark background in variable hues, she glued American coins in the form of a large "X". Paper as a medium is not particularly well-suited for such a treatment: the coins weigh down the paper and occasionally some fall off. But Brätsch likes the fact that her paintings become “wishing wells”—as if one could seal one’s fortune with a few cents. The work thus refers to a long tradition; in religious contexts painting is regarded as a powerful medium with transcendent qualities. At the same time, the coins address the question of the value of art, especially of painting, which is increasingly determined by the art market.
