Art in the light
Woman hurrying | Donna di fretta, 1971 is the note on the artist’s sculpture Maria Delago (1902-1979), in the center of the Sparkasse building on Bolzano’s Waltherplatz, on the ground floor, is a first indication of the current exhibition brought to light are. The rest of the artistic positions of the selected painters can be found on the second floor. Delago’s work was also originally from the curators Sylvia Heller and Lisa Dryer positioned there, on the instructions of the president (and neo-curator) of the savings bank, Delago’s “Urgent Woman” was shipped to the counter room, according to internal sources. She was cast in an even better light.
At the opening a few days ago, Delago’s sculpture can still be seen from above on the bank’s holy customers. Beside the work loom from Erika Giovanna Klien from the 1930s and next to the application The Sunken City from 1968 by May Hofer, she stood in front of the gallery ledge, in solidarity with the other works. It turned out differently. Delago’s work is in pole position in the handy catalogue, specifically for alphabetical reasons. Various art historians (Beatrice Barillari, Robert Bonazza, Günther Dankl, Matthew Frei, Andreas Hackemeyer, Sylvia Heller, Stefanie Moser Maier, Michael Rainer, Ursula Schnitzer and Lisa Dryer) others describe her and the 11 artists exhibited together with their creative work.
“Despite all resistance, female artists have only conquered the art world since Impressionism and are becoming more and more visible” writes Sylvia Heller in her opening post titled “… not a bed of roses” on the training situation of female artists since the 19th century. The early 20th century in particular was one “Time of awakening for women”says Höller, the options for action in the working world had changed “expanded and the traditional understanding of roles was increasingly softened.” women show themselves “self-confident and emancipated.” But when the Nazis seized power in Germany, women were again systematically pushed back from public life. Equally in Fascist Italy, where women “were no longer accepted into public administration from 1933” or “have to pay twice the tuition fee.”
Silvia Höller also provides an interesting reference in her text with a trip to the 1950s of the state capital, which in the course of the national media coverage of the international Busoni Prize in 1949, a year later – and initially through private initiative – in the former Hotel Rome a national one Prize for painters had launched. The exhibition with competition for the Artist premium Bolzano was continued in 1951 due to the strong participation and the great public interest – but now in the rooms of the city museum and the tourist office.
For that time “remarkable major exhibition”writes Höller “It was often referred to in the German-language press as Bolzano Women’s Biennial designated”. From 1952 the international exhibition. In the cloister of Bolzano Dominican monastery 300 female painters from almost two dozen countries exhibited, for example from France, England, North America, Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Austria, Australia, China…) Among them the one now on Waltherplatz exhibited artists Lore Arnold, Gerhild Diesner, Hilde Noebl, Milli Schmalzl, Cesarina Seppi and Tullia Socin.
Don’t tell art history more than success stories of men…
Out of “born of a hobby”has the exhibition “developed into an international event”die “Under different standards their importance for life and economy of the city” proved how that Daily newspaper of the South Tyrolean in an opinion.
“To no longer tell art history as success stories of men and to retrospectively move female artists into the center of attention” writes Höller, on it would Numerous museums have also been working for a number of years “extensive exhibitions” shown and “Scientific processing” happen.
The exhibition, for which an art calendar has also been published, manages surprisingly well without the male world painting. It is quite possible that one or the other of the painters on display will also be rediscovered by the international art market, such as the artist who was born in Überetsche in 1872 a few months ago Tina Koefler, with her picture woman in hammock. A few months ago, Kofler’s picture went for a starting price of 1,000 euros at an auction by Dorotheum Vienna entered the race and finally achieved a purchase price of just over 28,000 euros. High quality painting, as “safe bank” so to speak.