Discover R. H. Quaytman's Thought-Provoking Art Exhibition: An Evening, Chapter 32 at Secession

This exhibition features an extensive frieze of 22 paintings on wood panels by American artist R. H. Quaytman. Developed for the main space of the Secession, the work engages with historical references, particularly Otto van Veen's paintings, and explores themes of revelation, retreat, and the dialectic between biography and context.

For the Secession's main space, American artist R. H. Quaytman developed a frieze of 22 paintings on wood panels titled 'An Evening. Chapter 32.' The paintings are arranged on two walls set at a 45-degree angle to each other, with the architectural layout based on the figure of an open book, emphasizing central perspective. The length of both walls echoes Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, which Quaytman addresses in her work through various means. Beyond this site-specific reference, Quaytman chose two paintings by Otto van Veen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna as her starting point. Intrigued by these unusual works, she supported their restoration to gain photographic access and integrate the 'Perserinnen' into her exhibition. The paintings explore historical narratives, such as the 'Perserinnen' depicting women using self-exposure to shame their retreating male soldiers. Quaytman employs techniques like embedding tulle or nets into gesso primer and uses photographic silkscreen templates of the van Veen works, as well as a Polish landscape. The artist's work consistently utilizes a chapter structure, incorporating archives and objects related to the exhibition venue with art-historical investigations and contemporary reflections, creating a unique version of history and grounding her images in the present. She notes the challenge of integrating historical subjects into contemporary painting, experimenting with painting over photographic motifs and referencing Raimondi's engraving 'The Judgment of Paris' to create new narratives. The composition employs optical patterns like checkerboards and stripes, with a prominent wedge shape spanning 11 panels, creating an illusion of spatial continuation. Quaytman views her works not as autonomous objects but as groups acknowledging their production, presentation, reception, and circulation, giving equal importance to context. Quaytman's artistic development often engages with concepts discussed in relation to feminism, such as undermining authorship, hierarchies, and the objectification of the female body typically associated with a male gaze.

Ticketing information is available via a provided link to an external ticketing platform. The Secession is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Further details on museum admission and booking are not explicitly detailed on this exhibition page beyond the link to purchase tickets.