Rebecca Horn, German body art pioneer, dies at 80

Rebecca Horn, a leading figure in feminist body art since the 1960s, died on September 6, 2024, at age 80. Born in Michelstadt, Germany in 1944, she studied painting and sculpture at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg before moving to London to attend St. Martin's School of Art in 1970, later spending extended periods in the United States. Horn explored spatial boundaries through corporal extensions—long prostheses and sculptures—that gave her a surreal appearance in performances. Her practice expanded into film and plastic arts, with early short films like Der Eintänzer (1978) using autobiographical narratives of illness and healing, inspired by Bruce Nauman and Buster Keaton. She created mechanical installations that moved autonomously, interacting with viewers through visual and sonic stimuli. Horn was invited to documenta 5 in 1972 at age 28, became the first woman to receive the Carnegie Prize in 1989, and was awarded the Kaiserring of Goslar in 1992. Other honors include the Barnett and Annalee Newman Award (New York, 2004) and the Piepenbrock Prize for Sculpture (Berlin, 2006). Her notable public works include Piccoli Spiriti Blu (1999) in Turin as part of Luci d'Artista, and an installation in Piazza Plebiscito, Naples in 2002. She had a strong connection to Italy, represented by Studio Trisorio in Naples, with works in the Madre museum collection. A major retrospective is on view at Haus der Kunst in Munich until October 13, 2024.