Kippenberger and Lassnig Body Dialog at Museion Bolzano

Museion in Bolzano marks the tenth anniversary of its KSV-designed building with 'Body Check', an exhibition juxtaposing Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997) and Maria Lassnig (1919–2014). Curated by Veit Loers, the show focuses on the body as expressive and suffering, pairing the punk provocateur Kippenberger with the straightforward feminist Lassnig. It features almost exclusively paintings and drawings, except for Kippenberger's large sculpture 'Familie Hunger' and Lassnig's video 'Shapes'. The exhibition highlights their shared interest in distorted lines, acidic colors, and crude figuration. At the entrance, two photographic portraits by Elfie Semotan (Kippenberger's wife) of Lassnig from 2000 create an ideal encounter between the artists, who never met. The works are displayed side by side, with Kippenberger on the left and Lassnig on the right, emphasizing visual correspondences such as between Lassnig's 'Die Lebensqualität' (2001) and Kippenberger's 'Ohne Titel' (1990) from his Fred the Frog series. The show reclaims their art-historical dimension, moving beyond the 2008 scandal over Kippenberger's sculpture 'Zuerst die Füße' (a crucified frog) that sparked political and religious outrage.