Rosemary Mayer: an alliance of language and material

Starting June 11, the Lenbachhaus in Munich will be the first museum to present an overview of the work of Rosemary Mayer (1943-2014). The exhibition Ways of Attaching focuses on the sculptural methods of the U.S. artist more closely. These include, for example, draping, knotting, stretching, and balancing - techniques that run metaphorically through Mayer's graphic, written, and performative work into the 2000s.

With a degree in philology, she linked her language-based professional branch with practices in sculpture, installations, and sculptures. In her work, she combined minimalism with Mannerist painting, with Baroque and Rococo architecture, and with texts by medieval authors and contemporary poets. The title Ways of Attaching is therefore intentionally ambiguous: Attaching refers both to the literal linking of different materials and to interpersonal ties - friendships and contacts with artists from the past and present were decisive for Mayer's understanding of art.

The exhibition runs until September 18. It arose from a collaboration with Marie and Max Warsh from the estate of Rosemary Mayer and in partnership with the Swiss Institute in New York, the Ludwig Forum in Aachen, and Spike Island in Bristol.