Frauenkopf (Kopf meiner Mutter) (The Head of a Woman (The Head of my Mother)) - Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

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Frauenkopf (Kopf meiner Mutter) (The Head of a Woman (The Head of my Mother))

Lüpertz, Markus

Liberec, Czech Republic, 25/04/1941

Painted bronze

97 x 75 x 47.5 cm

Ml (on the reverse, on the right side, at the base)

1987

Late 20th century

02/185

Acquired in 2002

Head of a Woman belongs to a series of monumental female heads that Lüpertz began in the late 1980s and that refer back to Cubism, Matisse and German Expressionism. In technical terms, Lüpertz begins by modelling in wax or plaster and then proceeds to carve his figures and define their forms before casting them. The use of both techniques is obvious in the final result, which combines the precision of modelling with the spontaneity of carving. His sculptures consequently convey a strong sense of the corporeal, often emphasised by their monumental size.

After settling in the former Federal Republic of Germany with his family in 1948, Lüpertz began to work in the field of painting in the late 1960s. Taking Abstract Expressionism as his starting point he soon evolved towards more figurative principles, finding inspiration in different periods in the history of art. In this sense he has reinterpreted Mycenaean sculpture and the work of Poussin, Corot, Courbet, Picasso, Matisse, Ernst and Giacometti, among other artists. In line with other German artists of his generation, Lüpertz's oeuvre also reflects on the dramatic recent history of his home country. Since 1981 he has been combining work in the fields of painting and sculpture. (Marta García Maruri)

Selected bibliography

  • Barañano, Kosme María de ... [at. al.]. Markus Lüpertz: the memory and the form = la memoria y la forma. Valencia, IVAM, 2002. p. 139.
  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 202.
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 202.
  • Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 202.
  • Adquisiciones 02/07 [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2007. pp. 82-83, n° cat. 32.
  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2011. pp. 202-203, n° cat. 145a.
  • Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa : gida. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2012. pp. 202-203, n° cat. 145a.
  • Barañano, Kosme María de; Andrada Páez, Carolina. "La obra de Markus Lüpertz en la colección del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao = The works of Markus Lüpertz in the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum collection = Markus Lüpertz lana Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoko bilduman", Buletina = Boletín = Bulletin, n° 7. 2013. pp. 196-208, 297-301.
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. pp. 202-203.
  • Barañano, Kosme María de. Markus Lüpertz 1963-2013 [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. pp. 144-145, n° cat. 70.
  • Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. pp. 202-203.
  • Figurados, figuraciones, figurantes : estar o (tal vez) soñar [Cat. exp.]. [Bilbao], Iberdrola, 2015. pp. 15-16, 60, 63, 202, sin n° cat.