Etel Adnan. Poetry of Colors

Apr 1 – Jul 16, 2023

  • Etel Adnan, Persian (Detail), 1963-1964, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023

Born in Beirut, Etel Adnan (1925-2021) is an important representative of modernism. Her artistic and literary work is characterized by a broad and vibrant exchange between the Arab and Western worlds. The work of the poet, journalist, painter and philosopher, who spent her life between Lebanon, France and California, combines very different art forms, media, languages and cultures.

After Algeria's War of Independence (1954-1962), Adnan refused to continue working in French and showed solidarity with Algeria: "I didn't need to write in French anymore, I wanted to paint in Arabic." Her political clarity, as well as the close connection between writing and painting, have become essential features of her oeuvre.

An exhibition of the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau Munich, and the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, curated by Sébastien Delot, Director LaM, Lille métropole musée d’art moderne d’art contemporain et d’art brut.

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Catalog

Publication

A comprehensive catalog edited by Sébastien Delot, Susanne Gaensheimer, Matthias Mühlingr for the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen will be published to accompany the exhibition.

Contributions by Etel Adnan, Kathrin Beßen, Sébastian Delot, Simone Fattal, Grégoire Prangé, Morad Montazami, Melanie Vietmeier, Giovanna Zapperi

208 Pages
194 Illustrations in colour

34,00 €

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