Enter the women
Female artists in Linz 1851 – 1950
Exhibition view, Enter the women, 2022 
Exhibition view, 2022 
Exhibition view, 2022 
Exhibition view, Enter the women, 2022 
Exhibition view, Enter the women, 2022
Women have been present in Linz’s art scene since 1851, a fact that is not as well-known as it should be. Not only did they exhibit from the first beginning at the Oberösterreichischer Kunstverein, the Ring and the März, they also had a hand in furnishing signature projects such as the Palais Stoclet in Brussels and founded their own flourishing workshops. These female artists engaged in a vivid exchange with female art scenes in Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Dachau, and Berlin and presented their works at the 25th Venice Biennale.
They managed to do all this, even though in the middle of the nineteenth century preconditions for women who had put it into their head to become artists could hardly be called propitious. Prevalent social conventions and a serious handicap as regards training made it difficult for them to realise their ambition. The credit for enabling female artists to launch themselves on careers that went beyond dilettantism must go to the painter Agathe Schwabenau (1857 – 1950), who played a key role in the Oberösterreichischer Kunstverein and founded the rst school of painting in Linz in 1896. Her autobiographical notes and memoirs, which are presented here for the first time, allow a close insight into the challenges female artists were confronted with in the first half of the twentieth century.
This take on a 100 years of creative work by emancipated women seeks to rescue them from undeserved oblivion and to update local art historiography.
Curators: Sabine Fellner (Concept), Andrea Bina
Exhibition Organization: Lisa Schmidt
Exhibition Design: Silvia Merlo
Artists
Eleonore Auegg-Dilg, Franziska Baernreither, Gudrun Baudisch, Margret Bilger, Helene Clodi-Tietze, Vilma Eckl, Elli Fürböck, Emmy Haesele, Olga Jaeger, Tina Kofler, Sophie Koko, Paula May-Pillesmüller, Emilie Mediz-Pelikan, Fanny Newald, Margarete Pausinger, Michaela Pfaffinger, Maria Louise Poschacher, Rosa Scherer, Emilie Schleiss-Simandl, Norbertine Bresslern-Roth, Maria Schrangl, Agathe Schwabenau, Jutta Sika, Emmy Sommerhuber, Louise Spannring, Bertha Tarnóczy, Marianne Woitsch, Franziska Zach
| Date | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 22.10 | Press Conference: Death Positive Death is a very lively companion. Sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, often unexpected and at times longed for. And yet we prefer to push it far away from us. This exhibition brings it right into the center – gently, confrontationally and with humour and raw honesty. For we all have to die. | 10:00 am–11:00 am |
| Thu 22.10 | Opening: Death Positive. Because Dying Happens Death is a very lively companion. Sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, often unexpected and at times longed for. And yet we prefer to push it far away from us. This exhibition brings it right into the center – gently, confrontationally and with humour and raw honesty. For we all have to die. Free admission | 7:00 pm–9:00 pm |
| Fri 23.10 | Death Café at the Domcafé in Linz “I Miss You” Grief Support Café with Nicole Leitenmüller, crisis counselor for the Diocese of Linz. Meeting place: Domcafé, Domplatz 1, 4020 Linz | 4:00 pm–6:00 pm |
| Sun 25.10 | Public guided tour of the current exhibitions at the Nordico City Museum Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”) | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm |
| Sun 25.10 | Origami Sterne falten (in der Kinderkulturwoche) Schritt für Schritt, Falte für Falte, entsteht ein Stern und dabei kommen wir in eine konzentriert-meditative Stimmung. Wer will, kann über das Leben sprechen oder über Erinnerungen, Abschiede oder über Verluste; wer will kann Abschiedsrituale teilen, oder Gedanken darüber, wie wir mit dem Fehlen eines Menschen umgehen und das, was uns dabei verbindet. Für Kinder und Erwachsene im Rahmen der Kinderkulturwoche | 3:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Fri 30.10 | Día de Muertos. The Festival of the Dead We’re using the evening before Halloween as an opportunity to celebrate life: a parade featuring paper skeletons and colorful skulls that you can take home. For children and adults | 3:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Sun 01.11 | Writing Letters to the Dead Griefyards Writing Day with Poet Anja Grundner. | 1:00 pm–4:00 pm |
| Sun 01.11 | Public guided tour of the current exhibitions at the Nordico City Museum Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”) | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm |
| Thu 05.11 | Let’s talk about Death Guided tour of the exhibition with curator Klaudia Kreslehner, a chance to try out the coffin, followed by a discussion at the “Sargbar” with Nicole Honeck and Verena Brunnbauer. | 6:00 pm–8:00 pm |
| Sat 07.11 | Guided tour in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) of the exhibition „Death Positive. Because Dying Happens“ Guided tours with an Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) interpreter. Duration: 1 hour. Free for people with hearing impairments. No registration required. | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
Videos
The Linz director and artist Alenka Maly was able to use the existing archive material on Agathe Schwabenau’s life and work to make a film commissioned by Nordico, which can be seen on our website, our YouTube channel and also in the exhibition. *Please understand that we offer our video production in German language only.
Agathe Schwabenau - Biografie (Teil 1)
Agathe Schwabenau - Biografie (Teil 2)
Agathe Schwabenau - Biografie (Teil 3)
Video
In a video accompanying the exhibition, the curators Andrea Bina and Sabine Fellner give an insight into the making of the show. *Please understand that we offer our video production in German language only.
