Richild Holt

In the organizer's words:

The human being is the central theme in Richild Holt's artistic work. A combination of realistic accuracy in the figurative representation and an expressive style characterizes the artist's sensitive, honest (self-)portraits.

The faces and bodies are modeled in strong light-dark and color contrasts. The figures are set against a reduced and highly abstracted background. The portraits are characterized by emotional intensity, tense dynamics and great intimacy.

The painting process is accompanied by a close exchange between the sitter and the artist, in the course of which a portrait is created that captures the personality of the subject and translates it onto the canvas. Richild Holt describes these joint portrait sessions as "the most intensive conversation imaginable". (Interview DKFZ)

Her nudes are sensitive portraits in which she achieves authenticity rather than idealized representation. In the tradition and aspiration of portrait painting since the High Renaissance, appearance and personality are expressed. The viewer encounters an intense physicality and vulnerability. In its immediate presence, the body simultaneously presents itself as a carrier and visible expression of experiences, emotions and social connotations, of identity. Just as in the blue hour of evening twilight with its melancholy atmosphere, the exterior and interior of those portrayed shine equally brightly.

Richild Holt (*1941, Einöde near Villach, Austria) creates expressive portraits, still lifes and landscapes in paintings and drawings that are always representational. After training and working in commercial advertising, she studied at the New School for Social Research in New York in 1968/69, focusing on figurative drawing. It was not until 1981, after the birth of three children, that she was able to continue her studies at the Stuttgart Art Academy. In 1987, the artist's first comprehensive solo exhibition took place at the Mussavi Arts Center in New York. This was followed by numerous national and international exhibitions. Her works can be found in public and private collections, including the frauen museum wiesbaden, the Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C and the University of Stuttgart. The work cycle "Metamorphosis" comprises self-portraits created between 1986 and 1988, in which the artist captured her breast cancer and mastectomy. It is located in the DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center) in Heidelberg.