Vera Molnar's Pioneering Computer Art at DAM Gallery Berlin
The DAM Gallery in Berlin showcases a variety of works from Vera Molnar's collection, featuring plotter drawings, screen prints, art prints, and canvas pieces, marking their debut in the German capital. This exhibition, which runs until 1 August 2026, includes personal documents and the inaugural edition of her notebooks, "Journaux intimes 1976–2003," available on CD-ROM. The exhibition's title references a 1981 booklet released by Steglitz University Hospital, part of the "Art in the Hospital" initiative led by Herbert W. Franke. In her statement from that booklet, Molnar discusses utilizing computers to merge forms, liberating herself from cultural 'ready-mades', a precursor to modern generative systems. Her "machine imaginaire" concept, conceived in the late 1950s, represents an early instance of computational thinking in art, predating her access to computers and anticipating the algorithmic logic that drives generative AI today.
Key facts
- Exhibition at DAM Gallery Berlin until 1 August 2026
- Includes plotter drawings, screen prints, art prints, and works on canvas
- First exhibition of these works in Berlin
- Features personal documents and CD-ROM of notebooks 'Journaux intimes 1976–2003'
- Title from 1981 booklet by Steglitz University Hospital for 'Art in the Hospital' project
- Project organized by Herbert W. Franke, key figure in European computer art
- Molnar's statement describes computer as tool to free from cultural 'ready-mades'
- Concept of 'machine imaginaire' developed in late 1950s, anticipating generative AI
Entities
Artists
- Vera Molnar
Institutions
- DAM Gallery
- Steglitz University Hospital
- Arshake
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
Sources
- Arshake —