Ulla von Brandenburg: In Dialogue

Von Brandenburg’s work typically draws on literature, psychoanalysis, theatre, hypnosis, games, magic and spiritualism in immersive exhibition scenarios where the different art forms harmonize into a cohesive whole, or Gesamtkunstwerk.  In this instance, as its title indicates, the exhibit is a dialogue between von Brandenburg’s works and the museum’s recently acquired ceramic mural by the Lebanese-American artist Etel Adnan (1925–2021).  

A leading figure in contemporary Arab American visual art and literature, Adnan created rich, geometric fields of color in her paintings and drawings, some translated into large-scale murals and tapestries. The show explores this cross-generational engagement with geometric abstraction evident in both Adnan’s mural and von Brandenburg’s practice, calling to mind the rich history of the Russian-French artist Sonia Delaunay. 

Organized by James Voorhies, The Bass Chief Curator, and Claudia Mattos, Associate Curator of New Media Art, this exhibition is made possible with the support of Étant donnés, a program by Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation with the exclusive sponsorship of AXA, in partnership with Institut Français, French Ministry of Culture and ADAGP.

Ulla von Brandenburg is a German-born (b.1974) multifaceted artist who lives and works in Paris. Her internationally recognized work has appeared in numerous solo shows, recently for example at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2021), the MRAC in Sérignan (2019), the Whitechapel Gallery in London (2018), the Musée Jenisch Vevey in Switzerland (2018), the Kunstmuseum in Bonn (2018), the Perez Art Museum in Miami (2016) or the Contemporary Art Museum of Saint Louis (2016). She was one of the four finalists nominated for the Marcel Duchamp Prize in 2016.