Martha Jungwirth

Curator: Lekha Hileman Waitoller

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents Martha Jungwirth, a retrospective exhibition sponsored by Occident featuring seventy pieces that encompass six decades of work. Austrian artist Martha Jungwirth (b. 1940, Vienna) is celebrated for her unique abstract vocabulary grounded in the physical world. Ranging from 1976 to 2023, the works in the show include a substantial selection of drawings, watercolors, oil paintings and artist books spanning nearly 50 years of remarkable production. Jungwirth’s paintings and watercolors are informed by close observation of the human form, animals, the history of art, and extensive travel around the world. The resulting artworks evoke a sense of spontaneity through their erratic forms and intense colors. Martha Jungwirth’s artwork will be shown in Spain for the first time since 1966, when she was awarded the Joan Miró Prize.

Martha Jungwirth stands as a seminal figure in the Austrian art scene. Rooted in the cultural and artistic milieu of postwar Vienna, she studied art at the Universität für angewandte Kunst (University of Applied Arts), Vienna, from 1956 to 1963. Despite the shifting trends within painting, Jungwirth consistently dedicated herself to developing a unique abstract style that draws on myriad influences from her life. Her early work demonstrates a distinct approach for the visceral and the subjective characterized by a fusion of Abstract Expressionism and a raw, emotive quality, setting the stage for the development of her unique aesthetic. Over the years, Jungwirth has exhibited a remarkable ability to evolve and adapt her artistic language. Her subject matter is as diverse as her own interests, ranging from introspective self-portraits to landscapes and works inspired by current events, such as the Australian bushfires.

Jungwirth’s paintings and drawings masterfully navigate the delicate boundary between realism and abstraction. Her artworks don’t aim to depict a straightforward narrative or visual representation, rather they are defined by their explosive, gestural strokes and vibrant hues that serve as poignant expressions. Through colors that carry emotional weight and gestural forms that hint at their origins, Jungwirth’s paintings defy easy categorization. Her work captures not just fleeting moments or mere images, but encapsulates profound experiences, emotions, and memories, and through her art, Jungwirth imparts an insightful understanding of the boundless intricacies of reality, offering viewers a glimpse into the depths of human perception and consciousness.

Jungwirth’s energetic paintings are decidedly non-conformist in style and are made on unexpected supports, such as cardboard, accounting books, or brown paper. The artist has consistently sought liberation in her engagement with unusual materials that defy the conventions of traditional artistic repertoires reveling in the non-precious, the overlooked, and the unorthodox. These weathered relics, marked by tattered edges and stains, serve as both her canvas and a catalyst for uninhibited expression, inviting her to navigate the nuanced contours of control and chaos with a spirited freedom that transcends conventional artistic boundaries. Jungwirth’s work extends beyond the mere selection of uncommon materials; it transforms them into a dialogue with ordered systems within the physical realm. The juxtaposition of materials designed to impose order becomes, in Jungwirth’s hands, a fertile ground for gestural, spontaneous, and brilliantly colored brushwork.