The exhibition presents not only the artist's work and oeuvre, but also her networks and artistic background. For the first time ever, the artistic oeuvre of the photographer Eva Wagner-Zimmermann (1928-2015), a close friend and long-time companion of Evelyn Richter, will be on display. Like Richter and Ursula Arnold, she studied at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig. After leaving the HGB in 1954 and moving to West Germany, Eva Wagner married the physicist Wolfhart Zimmermann in 1957. She often accompanied her husband on his trips abroad. Whenever possible, she photographed everyday life on the street - in Mexico, Paris and New York. The group of friends is complemented by the Berlin-based sculptor Christa Sammler (*1932).
The exhibition is divided into two sections in terms of space and content: on the third floor, works by the four friends Ursula Arnold, Evelyn Richter, Christa Sammler and Eva Wagner-Zimmermann are shown. Their different paths in life are reappraised and contextualised - also in order to approach the question of how women of their generation could become active as artists.
A second part of the exhibition in the basement focuses on Evelyn Richter as a photo book artist. The photo book offered Richter the ideal prerequisite to present her pictorial concept. The self-contained book form made it possible to establish a stringently composed sequence and develop a narrative pictorial structure. Her completed books on David Oistrakh, Paul Dessau and the non-fiction book Entwicklungswunder Mensch are presented in layouts, proofs, portrait photographs and conducts. The hitherto little-noticed books Klaus Störtebecker. Dramatische Ballade in sechs Episoden and Sorbische Volkstrachten, both from 1959, are presented. Unrealised book projects on the topics of "Women in the GDR" and "Library Buildings in the GDR" are on display.
The catalogue for the exhibition is a joint effort and was produced in very close cooperation between the Evelyn Richter Archive, the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, the MdbK and the family of Evelyn Richter, represented by Peter Richter, and Spector Verlag.
The Evelyn Richter exhibition is sponsored by the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung together with the Sparkasse Leipzig and the BMW Leipzig branch.
Opening: 15.11.2023, 6 pm
