Myth »Femme fatale«

Starting on December 9, the Hamburger Kunsthalle looks behind the facade of a stereotypically male image of women: Femme Fatale. Gaze – Power – Gender uncovers how the concept has manifested and expanded socially. The exhibition approaches the concept of femme fatale artistically as well as historically.

In the 19th century, biblical or mythological figures such as Medusa correspond to the stereotype of the fatal woman. Around 1900, men are said to have begun attaching the myth to real people in order to demonize female sexuality: Actresses, dancers, or artists such as Sarah Bernhardt, Alma Mahler, or Anita Berber fit the stereotype perfectly. It was not until the 1960s that the image began to crumble. Feminist artists deconstructed the traditional views and pictorial traditions. Currently, artistic positions work with explicit counter-narratives to break the topos femme fatale. Terms such as male gaze have become commonplace.

Kunsthalle retraces the history of the femme fatale with around 140 exhibits. It spans from symbolism, through expressionism and the early feminist avant-garde, to the present, in which queer and intersectional feminist perspectives such as those of Zandile Tshabalala have their say. Edvard Munch finds a place here, as do Max Liebermann, Maria Lassnig, Gerda Wegener, Ketty La Rocca, and Nan Goldin. Femme Fatale. Gaze – Power – Gender ends on April 10.