The exhibition Battle of the Sexes – Franz von Stuck to Frida Kahlo
(Geschlechterkampf – Franz von Stuck bis Frida Kahlo) was held from
24 November 2016 to 19 March 2017 at the Städel-Museum in Frankfurt
am Main. 140 paintings, films and sculptures reflected the change in gender
roles and the perception of these roles.
As logo of the exhibition two paintings have been used: ''
Salome
Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...
'' by
Jean Benner
Jean Benner (28 March 1836, in Mulhouse – 28 October 1906, in Paris) was a French artist, and twin to fellow artist, .
Early life
Twins Jean and Emmanuel Benner were born in March 1836 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France to Jean Benner-Fries.John De ...
and ''Elle'' (''She'') by
Gustav-Adolf Mossa
Gustav-Adolf Mossa (28 January 1883 – 25 May 1971) was a French illustrator, playwright, essayist, curator and late Symbolist painter.
Early life
Mossa was born 28 January 1883 in Nice, to an Italian mother, Marguerite Alfieri, and , an art ...
, the depiction of a
femme fatale
A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...
with the blood of her male victims smeared on her thighs, sitting on a mountain of their corpses. Her genitalia are hidden by a cat. An inscription reads: ''hoc volo, sic iubeo; sit pro ratione voluntas''.
On display were drawings, photographs, films, sculptures and paintings.
Films
King Kong (1933) movie poster (1).jpg, King Kong
Méliès, La tentation de saint Antoine (Star Film 168, 1898).jpg, Die Versuchung des St. Antoine
May Irwin Kiss.ogv, The Kiss
Films shown in the exhibition were mostly from the
Pre-Code-era.
Sculptures
There were other versions or castings of these sculptures present:
Pythia.jpg, Phytia, Marcello
Constantin Starck Tennisspielerin von 1930 seit 1935 auf dem Gelände Deutscher Tennis Verein Hannover e.V. Café in der verglasten Veranda.jpg, Tennisspielerin (tennis player), Constantin Starck
"Gorille enlevant une femme" (Palais de Tokyo) (7670344022).jpg, Gorille enlevant une femme, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra
Stuck Amazone 01.jpg, Amazone, Franz von Stuck
Persée et la gorgone - Laurent-Honoré Marqueste (D 2000-2).jpg, Persée et la gorgone, Laurent-Honoré Marqueste
Marcello's sculpture Pythia is a representation of the priest of the oracle of Delphi,
who made her prophecies under the influence of hallucinogenic gas. They were then interpreted by
male priests. Well known is the prediction to the people of Athens to use wooden walls as a means to
defeat the Persians. This was taken as advice to build
triremes. The Persian fleet was defeated in the
Battle of Salamis. On display is one of many castings of this main work of Marcello.
The male pseudonym was used by the countess Adélaïde Nathalie Marie Hedwige Philippine d’Affry,
who could not benefit from an education at the
PAFA PAFA may refer to:
* Peace Action is Freedom for All, a political party in Zimbabwe
* Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
* Perak Amateur Football Association, the former acronym of parent association of Perak football team in Malaysia before i ...
where
Eakins
allowed women to study the nude. Therefore, she used castings of her own body in creating
the sculpture.
The tennis player was able to engage in this sport as rules on female clothing had
by the time been relaxed.
Paintings
Félicien Rops - La tentation de Saint Antoine.jpg, La tentation de Saint Antoine, Felicien Rops
Puberty (1894-95) by Edvard Munch.jpg, ''Puberty'', Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images.
His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
Adam and Eve, Suzanne Valadon.jpg, ''Adam and Eve'', Suzanne Valadon
Lilith (John Collier painting).jpg, '' Lilith'', John Collier John Collier may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*John Collier (caricaturist) (1708–1786), English caricaturist and satirical poet
*John Payne Collier (1789–1883), English Shakespearian critic and forger
*John Collier (painter) (1850–1934), ...
1902 Liebermann Simson und Delia anagoria.JPG, ''Simson and Delia'', Max Liebermann
Lovis Corinth Salome 1900.jpg, ''Salome II'', Lovis Corinth
Clytemnestra1.jpg, ''Clytemnestra''
Suzanne Valadon modeled herself as Eve. Adam is a portrait of her muse, her twenty
years younger lover. Both grab together for the forbidden fruit. Lilith was Adam's
first wife and had to be replaced by Eve, when she showed her open hair in
public and also fell otherwise out of the female role model.
Clytemnestra is holding the sword she used to kill her husband, after he was willing to sacrifice their daughter Iphigenia to Artemis.
Franz von Stuck,
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images.
His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
,
Otto Dix and
Frida Kahlo
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...
are all represented by a number of paintings.
Meret Oppenheim
In Egyptian mythology, Meret (also spelled Mert) was a goddess who was strongly associated with rejoicing, such as singing and dancing.
In myth
Meret was a token wife occasionally given to Hapy, the god of the Nile. Her name being a reference ...
's ''My Nurse'' is part of the exhibition.
Perception
''Art'' used the exhibition as a cover story with the headlines "Leider geil!",
"Lustmord-Bilder sind der Höhepunkt des Frauenhasses" and "Der groteske US-Wahlkampf
war der totale Geschlechterkampf".
''Kunstzeitung'' speaks of a parade full of facets, spanning a hundred
years.
''Handelsblatt'' sees a contrast between first rate works and sultry perfumed paintings from the
second tier.
''Schwäbische Zeitung'' describes the fighting scenes as a traditional costume parade at a town
festival.
''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' comments on the timing of the exhibition at
the
inauguration
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...
of
Donald Trump.
[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 30 January 2017, Dem plötzlich ganz anderen ausgeliefert, zet.]
Literature
* Battle of the sexes: Franz von Stuck to Frida Kahlo, Felix Krämer, Cynthia Hall, Städel Museum, Prestel-Verlag, München, London, New York, 2016
* Geschlechterkampf: Franz von Stuck bis Frida Kahlo, Felix Krämer, Städel, Prestel, München, Frankfurt, 2016
* Geschlechterkampf, Brochure of the Städel-Museum, available at the Museumshop
References
External links
WebsiteDigitorial*
#LetsTalkAboutSexes – die Beiträge zur Social-Media-Aktion10 February 2017, Sarah Omar
{{coord missing, Hesse
2016 in art
Museums in Frankfurt
Art exhibitions in Germany
Articles containing video clips
Feminist art