Preview

Special Exhibition

Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler – Questions about Works and Documents

April 27 to August 20, 2023

 In 2021, the Prinzhorn Collection was able to acquire more than 250 works on paper by Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler (1899-1940), together with her estate of writings and photographs. Thus, with a single stroke, our museum became the most important research center for this artist, whose work only regained public attention in the 1990s. Since then, her œuvre has received increasing recognition as an original contribution to modernism of the period between the world wars, but also as a testimony to a tragic victim of the Nazi patient murders. 

As early as twenty years ago, we presented a retrospective of the artist’s work. This is one of the reasons why we do not want to present a new overview at this time, but rather, based on the material in our collection, pose new questions about Lohse-Wächtler's life and work: What exactly were the artistic contexts of the early and late work in particular? What art historical influences can be identified? What role did her parental home play in the artist’s development? What significance did photography have for her? What kind of communication took place with her husband, Kurt Lohse (1892-1958), who was not only a singer but also a visual artist himself? How should we evaluate Lohse-Wächtler's last stay at the Arnsdorf sanatorium? How can the works created there, especially the so-called "studies," be interpreted? How has the artist's work and life been perceived? Did the perspective of her as a victim obscure the view of her work?

The intention of the show is to let the visitors participate in the way we think about the works and documents. In doing so, we hope to encourage an intensive examination of the life and œuvre of Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler. Research on this special artist is far from complete.

Image: Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler, ohne Titel / untitled, undatiert / no date, Inv.Nr. 8600/06.0005 (2020) © Sammlung Prinzhorn, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg