In 2025, the Kunsthalle Krems celebrates its 30th anniversary. With its opening in March 1995, the foundation stone was laid for the Kunstmeile Krems as the competence center for fine arts in Lower Austria. Today, the Kunsthalle Krems is the first address for international contemporary art in Lower Austria. The 30th anniversary of the Kunsthalle Krems will be honored with the opening of the exhibition "Susan Rothenberg". The US-American painter is one of the pioneers of figurative neo-expressionism in painting. Her emblematic and monumental horse paintings from the 1970s have become icons of contemporary painting. The Kunsthalle Krems is the only European exhibition venue to dedicate a monographic show to the late artist on the occasion of her 80th birthday.

The American painter Susan Rothenberg (1945-2020) is considered a leading representative of Neo-Expressionism. As a central figure in the male-dominated movement, she laid the foundations for figurative painting to regain importance in the early 1980s. Rothenberg combined figurative depictions with intense emotional content, leaving a lasting impression on art history.

Susan Rothenberg, Lemon Flip Rabbit, 1991-92 © Hall Collection. Courtesy Hall Art Foundation, Bildrecht, Vienna 2024

Susan Rothenberg, Lemon Flip Rabbit, 1991-92 © Hall Collection. Courtesy Hall Art Foundation, Bildrecht, Vienna 2024

Susan Rothenberg is best known for her iconic horse paintings, which became symbols of American painting in the 1970s. These works paved the way from minimalist art to a new, figurative expressionist era. In 1978, Rothenberg's "Horse Paintings" were part of the legendary "New Image Painting" exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. These works were celebrated as opening the door to a return to figuration and made Rothenberg a pioneer of Neo-Expressionism. In 1982, she was the only female artist alongside Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer and Julian Schnabel to be represented in the Berlin Zeitgeist show, which is regarded as one of the founding exhibitions of this movement.
The exhibition at the Kunsthalle Krems comprises around 37 paintings and works on paper from Rothenberg's creative period of five decades. Starting with her minimalist horse paintings from the 1970s, the show spans the arc to neo-expressionist works from the 1980s and beyond. These are characterized by dynamic landscape and animal motifs. They were created on a horse ranch in New Mexico, where Rothenberg lived with her husband, the artist Bruce Naumann. At that time, she focused intensively on the wildlife and landscapes of the region. The late work includes pictures of puppets and fragmented human bodies as well as realistic, painterly depictions of animals, in which Rothenberg further refined her expression.

Susan Rothenberg, Algarve, 1974 © Hall Collection. Courtesy Hall Art Foundation, Bildrecht, Vienna 2024

Susan Rothenberg, Algarve, 1974 © Hall Collection. Courtesy Hall Art Foundation, Bildrecht, Vienna 2024

At the heart of the show are works from the Hall Art Foundation, which has the world's largest collection of Rothenberg's works. The exhibition is complemented by loans from renowned museums such as the MoMA and the Whitney Museum in New York, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and important private collections. The Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, is supporting the project and the authentic presentation of Rothenberg's work.
April 5 to November 2, 2025
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