Maria Lassnig

Natalie Lettner's extensively researched biography faithfully details Lassnig's incredible life, spanning nine decades from her beginnings in Austria to her status as internationally renowned artist.It chronicles Lassnig's journey and struggles in remaining true to her bold, singular artistic vision while fighting gender stereotypes and paving the way for future generations of artists.Published by Hauser & Wirth.Additonal Information:Natalie Lettner is a cultural and art scholar who has been working at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna since 2000. Lettner researches the interfaces between premodern and contemporary art as well as between so-called high and popular culture.Maria Lassnig's (1919 - 2014) work is based on the observation of the physical presence of the body and what she termed 'body awareness', or 'Körpergefühl' in German. Her famed portraits and self-portraits are often treated with a playful irony, even in her depictions of the aging body and psychological turmoil.From the late 1990s, Lassnig turned to the great existential themes with her so-called Drastic Pictures, such as the relationship between the sexes and generations, unchosen lifestyles, as well as oppression, destruction, impermanence, and death. For more information on the artist, please visit Hauser & Wirth.For further context, please visit episode 35 of The Great Women Artists Podcast by Katy Hessel:'Natalie Lettner on Maria Lassnig: The Great Women Artists'.