Johan Holten – författare

German-english edition The epochal term "New Objectivity" became synonymous with the cultural awakening of the 1920s, and with the rationalism and objective precision to be observed in art as well as architecture, design, photography and literature at that time. In 1925, Gustav F. Hartlaub coined the term with an exhibition of the same name. 100 years later, the exhibition shown then at Kunsthalle Mannheim will be scrutinized critically and reconstructed digitally. In addition to works by key artistic figures such as Max Beckmann, Otto Dix and George Grosz, the new exhibition will also present overlooked positions, especially those of female artists such as Anita Rée and Lotte Laserstein. The scope will also be extended topographically, e.g. to Switzerland and Italy, as well as chronologically, to the 1930s and early 1940s. The publication promises visual immersion in a formative stylistic epoch and will provide insights into the current state of research on key questions of New Objectivity. Look inside New Objectivity - a panorama of the 1920s and 1930s An era rediscovered: female positions and forgotten artists, highlighting people, motifs and themes Exhibition: Kunsthalle Mannheim, 22.11.2024 - 9.3.2025

Kunsthalle Mannheim had one of the first collections of Expressionism in Germany's museums – until most of the works previously acquired were confiscated by the National Socialists in 1937. The significance of Expressionism for the museum's history is now being explored for the first time in this catalogue, which presents the outstanding collection of paintings, prints and sculptures, as well as high-quality loans of previously confiscated works and masterpieces from private collections in Mannheim. It includes works by Erich Heckel, Alexej von Jawlensky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Oskar Kokoschka, Otto Mueller, Max Pechstein, Emil Nolde, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Maria Uhden, Milly Steger and Gabriele Münter, with a particular focus on sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck and his close patron Sally Falk. The publication offers a detailed insight into the history of this fascinating stylistic epoch in Mannheim and introduces important works and their place within the Kunsthalle's collection.Examining masterpieces of ExpressionismRediscovery of female positions in ExpressionismCritical evaluation of the art-historical canonExhibition: Kunsthalle Mannheim, September 26, 2025 to January 11, 2026

CoBrA is one of the most important artist groups of Art Informel. The name is derived from the first letters of the three capital cities of Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam — the centers from which the CoBrA artists took action. Little is still known here in Germany about the concrete origins of the art movement. The exhibition and catalogue of the same name attempts a broad examination of the group’s origins: with the focus on the reconstruction of the movement prior to its official establishment in November 1948. It aims to present a representative cross-section of the movement that includes the largest possible number of artists as well as the greatest possible concentration of forms of expression and topics characteristic of the movement. Roughly fifty paintings, thirty sculptural works, fifty graphic reproductions and photographs as well as individual ceramics and textiles from international collections are presented. Look inside

RAF, NSU and IS are acronyms of terrorist groups whose extremist propaganda and political violence challenge the visual arts to react decisively. The exhibition catalogue therefore opens up a highly topical artistic perspective on the history and political iconography of modern terrorism. For the first time, three sections comparatively examine the effects of social revolutionary, far-right, and jihadist terrorism on visual culture. 20 years after September 11, 2001, and ten years after the discovery of the NSU in the fall of 2011, the exhibition and publication together explore the question of how acts of political violence affect cultural memory through the media.Artists: Hiba Al Ansari (SY), Khalid Albaih (SD), Morehshin Allahyari (IR), Francis Alÿs (BE), Kader Attia (FR), Walter Dahn & Jiří Dokoupil (DE/CZ), Christoph Draeger (CH), Hans-Peter Feldmann (DE), Forensic Architecture (GB/IL), Chloé Galibert-Lâiné & Kevin B. Lee (FR/US), Gregory Green (USA), Johan Grimonprez (BE), Richard Hamilton (GB), Omar Imam (SY), Christof Kohlhöfer (D/US), Susanne Kriemann (D), Jean-Jacques Lebel (FR), Almut Linde (DE), Georg Lutz (DE), Édouard Manet (FR), Paula Markert (DE), Olaf Metzel (DE), Henrike Naumann (DE), Wolf Pehlke (DE), Ariel Reichman (IL), Gerhard Richter (DE), Thomas Ruff (DE), Ivana Spinelli (IT), Klaus Staeck (DE), Hito Steyerl (DE), J.M. Voltz (DE)Text in English and German.

The shared medium of Katharina Hinsberg and Monika Gryzmala is drawing. The exploration of the line is central to the work of both artists. Many of these artworks transcend the traditional boundaries of the genre and, in their dynamic reach, take on an almost sculptural quality. While Katharina Hinsberg’s lines dissect space with meticulous clarity, Monika Grzymala’s imposing bundles of lines penetrate space with an eruptive power. The two artistic approaches are being shown together for the first time in the joint exhibition Between One Line at the Kunsthalle Mannheim. The accompanying catalogue was created through an ongoing dialogue between the two artists. Two sketchbooks formed the basis; the artists worked in them alternately, each visually “interrupting” one another, constantly striving to confront their colleague’s preliminary drawing work with their own understanding of the line, and exploring their artistic potential through a collaborative practice.Text in English and German.

At the Tipping Point Taking a deliberately kaleidoscopic approach, the exhibition 1.5 Degrees and the accompanying catalogue encourage us to address the climate crisis in a curious, innovative, participatory, and active way. More than 30 international artists, including melanie bonajo, Laure Prouvost, Julian Charrière, Otobong Nkanga, Marianna Simnett, Ernesto Neto and the collective SUPERFLEX, explore the complex interdependencies between humans, nature and technology, and search for solutions, from plants as data repositories, algae as energy sources and microorganisms as empathic dialogue partners. Including all parts of the museum collections as well as new outdoor installations at the National Garden Show BUGA, the book presents various models of how to use the means of art to reshape the coexistence of species and emphasizes the hope-giving potential of creativity and innovation.

Three books in one (Ger./Engl.) Nan Hoover, Anneliese Hager and Maria Lassnig are women artists who expressed themselves experimentally and innovatively in various media. They were interested in alienation effects, body perception, and reflections about time and space. All three explored Surrealism early on and found their own individual visual language in different ways: the common denominator is a preoccupation with light, space and the body, as well as the existential question of self-perception and one’s place in the world. While American Hoover was one of the pioneers of international light, video and performance art and produced a surprising painterly early oeuvre close to pop art, Hager, who is one of the most interesting female photographers of the 20th century, remains very little known. Today, Austrian painter Lassnig is one of the most important female artists of the 20th century, but she only achieved her international breakthrough late – in the 1980s. This publication, three books in one, enables readers to rediscover the three artists, or even discover them for the first time. Nan Hoover (1931–2008), light, video and performance artist Look inside Anneliese Hager (1904–1997), photo artist, poet Look inside Maria Lassnig (1919–2014), painter, graphic artist Look inside Art, body, (self-)perception - a focused, concentrated introduction to the work and biography of three 20th century women artists Exhibition: Kunsthalle Mannheim, 10 November 2023 to 28th April 2024