LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster:

The exhibition “Otto Mueller” takes a new look at the work of the expressionist artist Otto Mueller (1874 - 1930). Although his works are represented in many international art collections today, a critical, analytical overall view of his work has been lacking until now. The occasion for the exhibition at the LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster is the 150th birthday of the Silesian-born artist on October 15, 2024. The museum itself owns four paintings by Otto Mueller as well as a series of prints, including a hand-colored lithograph. These works are the starting point for the exhibition.

In addition to the motif of bathers, Mueller's work also includes self-portraits and depictions of his partners. With paintings, pastels, drawings and, above all, lithographs, he made use of various artistic techniques. Like other artists of the 20th century, Mueller was in search of the supposedly “original”, which he sought in the harmony of man and nature, but also in ways of life that he considered unbourgeois.

The awareness of contemporary problems is included in the presentation. To what extent does the depiction of female nudes serve a male sexualizing gaze? What is the significance of the artist's longing for paradise and the depiction of black people and African masks at a time when the traces of colonialism are still omnipresent? How does the museum deal with a romanticized idea of Sinti:zze and Rom:nja, as can be found in many of Mueller's works? Is it legitimate to use titles chosen by the artist that discriminate against a minority? On the basis of recent research, the exhibition takes the opportunity to put these questions up for discussion and search for answers.

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