Ana Lupaș Retrospective at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Examines Complex Legacy and Western Canonization
From May 9 to September 15, 2024, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam hosted the retrospective exhibition 'On This Side of the River Elbe,' featuring Romanian artist Ana Lupaș and curated by Leontine Coelewij. The exhibit included significant works such as 'The Solemn Process (1964–2008),' 'Coats to Borrow (1989),' and 'The Humid Installation (1970).' It positioned Lupaș within a context of resistance against Ceaușescu's regime, focusing on her textile art and community projects. However, the article criticizes this Western perspective, pointing out her intricate historical context, the institutional authority she held during socialism, and her retreat from the local art scene after 1989, questioning the depiction of Lupaș as a 'heroic dissident' and addressing representation issues in Eastern European art history.
Key facts
- Ana Lupaș's retrospective 'On This Side of the River Elbe' was at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam from May 9 to September 15, 2024.
- The exhibition was curated by Leontine Coelewij.
- Key works included 'The Solemn Process (1964–2008)', in Tate London's collection since 2016, and 'Coats to Borrow (1989)', acquired by the Stedelijk in 2022.
- A closed 2014 exhibition in Cluj for Tate London's Acquisition Board preceded the Stedelijk show.
- Lupaș graduated from the Ion Andreescu Institute of Fine Arts in Cluj in 1962 and taught ceramics there with Mircea Spătaru.
- She served as president of the Cluj branch of the Romanian Union of Visual Artists from 1973 and coordinated the national Atelier 35 youth section in the 1980s.
- Lupaș was commissioner for Romania's participation at the 1973 Triennale of Decorative Arts in Milan.
- The article critiques the Western narrative of Lupaș as a dissident, highlighting her institutional roles and alignment with state nationalist propaganda.
Entities
Artists
- Ana Lupaș
- Mircea Spătaru
- Constantin Brâncuși
- Marc Chagall
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Magdalena Abakanowicz
- Marina Abramović
- Marcel Janco
- Christo
- Milan Kundera
- Vladimír Clementis
- Klement Gottwald
- Marina Lupaș
- Mădălina Braşoveanu
- Leontine Coelewij
- Gwen Perry
- Masha van Vliet
- Carlos Zepeda Aguilar
- Alexandra Titu
- Magda Cârneci
- Irina Cios
- Daria Ghiu
- Cristian Nae
- Veda Popovici
- Radu Mareș
Institutions
- Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Tate London
- The Office
- ARTMargins Online
- Romanian Union of Visual Artists (U.A.P.)
- Atelier 35
- Ion Andreescu Institute of Fine Arts
- Cluj High School of Art
- Bundeskunsthalle Bonn
- Soros Center for Contemporary Art
- International Tapestry Biennale Lausanne
- International Triennial Stuttgart
- Quadrennial of Decorative Arts Erfurt
- International Biennial of Young Artists Paris
- Triennale of Decorative Arts Milan
- International Biennial Sao Paolo
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Cluj
- Romania
- Transylvania
- Mărgău
- Grigorescu neighborhood
- London
- United Kingdom
- Bonn
- Germany
- Milan
- Italy
- Lausanne
- Switzerland
- Stuttgart
- Erfurt
- Paris
- France
- Sao Paolo
- Brazil
- Bucharest
- Prague
- Czech Republic
- Old Town Square