Ohne Titel, 1984
Information about the artwork
- Translated titleUntitled
- MaterialWatercolor on paper
- Dimensions14.9 x 21 cm
- Year of acquisition1985
- Inventory numberUAB 417
- On viewOn view
- Copyright© Rosemarie Trockel. VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn [2025]. Photo: Elisabeth Greil, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Museum Brandhorst, Munich
More about the artwork
Internationally recognized today as one of the most influential contemporary artists, Rosemarie Trockel first attracted attention in the 1980s with her works of art. At that time, she deliberately employed technigues associated with femininity, such as knitting, and combined them with provocative and politically charged motifs, ranging from "Playboy" bunnies to swastikas. With this ironic-conceptual approach, she playfully deconstructs gender norms and societal conventions. Even small, seemingly casual works reference this context: rather than conveying triumphant self-assertion, the piece shown here presents an ironic critique of the pursuit of "first place"—while simultaneously pointing to the feminist effort to become visible within male-dominated structures. This occurred at a time when political conservatives were once again promoting traditional family values, while at the same time women artists were gaining greater visibility in the German art system, in part due to the efforts of gallery owners such as Monika Sprüth, who made history with her magazine "Eau de Cologne" and with exhibitions featuring exclusively female positions.
