Jutta Koether

Born in Cologne in 1958, Jutta Koether is a well-known painter, musician, theorist, performer and author. Her references to pop and media culture and her treatment of gender relations have left a lasting mark on the cultural landscape since the 1980s. The exhibition “Tour de Madame” was the first to offer international audiences an overview of her artistic production. The exhibition presented over 150 works that chronologically follow Koether’s artistic evolution between 1983 and 2017. The exhibition brought some surprises as many of the works have never been shown before or have remained in private collections since their original public display.
The exhibition began with Koether’s early figurative paintings, in which she applies subtle humour to comment on the clichés and dynamics of art history. Self-portraits and new versions of classical artworks are the focus of her first prominent series of works, her so-called “red pictures”. The works produced during her years in New York highlight the traditions of American painting in relation to current developments in pop culture. Her interest in techno, punk and hip-hop have also found their way into her paintings. In recent years, she has continued to explore historical paintings with new forays into the art canon, such as a painting series featuring new perspectives on works by Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Cy Twombly. In a new cycle created especially for the exhibition, Koether alluded to Cy Twombly’s “Lepanto Cycle” at the Museum Brandhorst.
An event series curated by the artist herself has supplemented the exhibition with concerts and performances at the Munich Kammerspiele and readings and discussions at the Museum Brandhorst. In cooperation with the art colleges in Munich and Hamburg, the project included a workshop for young artists and theorists. The pop-cultural references in Koether’s works provide a wealth of talking points for younger audience members, for whom an extensive educational programme took place.

Artistic director: Achim Hochdörfer
Curators: Achim Hochdörfer, Tonio Kröner
Cooperation partners: Suzanne Cotter (AU), Christoph Gurk, Dieter Rehm

Additional Dates:

Event series, Munich Kammerspiele, Munich: 18 May – 21 Oct. 2018;
Workshop with Munich Academy of the Fine Arts and Museum Brandhorst, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich: June 2018;
Event series, Museum Brandhorst, Bavarian State Painting Collections and Munich Kammerspiele, Munich: October 2018;

Mudam Luxembourg - Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean: 9. Februar - 12. Mai 2019