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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 05.04 | Öffentliche Führung durch die Aktuellen Ausstellungen des Nordico Stadtmuseum Dauer 60 Minuten, max. 25 Personen, Führungkarte € 4 (zzgl. Eintritt) Keine Anmeldung erforderlich („first-come-first-served“) | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm |
| Sat 11.04 | Guided tour in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) of the exhibition Made in Linz Guided tours with a sign language interpreter in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS). Duration: 1 hour. Free of charge for people with hearing impairments. No registration required. | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Sun 12.04 | Öffentliche Führung durch die Aktuellen Ausstellungen des Nordico Stadtmuseum Dauer 60 Minuten, max. 25 Personen, Führungkarte € 4 (zzgl. Eintritt) Keine Anmeldung erforderlich („first-come-first-served“) | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm |
| Thu 16.04 | Made in Linz: Leather Workshop Design your own leather pouch or foldable wallet? Shoemaker Siegfried Hain makes it possible and “brings his workshop to the Nordico.” Sustainably produced leather will be used and can be customized with special dyes. During the crafting process, the founder of Linz’s first shoe museum will share fascinating insights into his trade and the art of leatherworking. Cost: €29 (50% reduced for children up to 16) plus material costs (€15 per item). Registration required at +43 732 7070 1912 or online. | 5:00 pm–8:00 pm |
| Thu 16.04 | We open the box: The end is not the end II. Peace City Linz and what next? With Gerda Forstner, Head of the Linz Culture Department | 7:00 pm–9:00 pm |
| Sun 19.04 | Öffentliche Führung durch die Aktuellen Ausstellungen des Nordico Stadtmuseum Dauer 60 Minuten, max. 25 Personen, Führungkarte € 4 (zzgl. Eintritt) Keine Anmeldung erforderlich („first-come-first-served“) | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm |
| Thu 23.04 | Made in Linz: Making-of Andrea Bina and Michaela Nagl guide visitors through the exhibition they curated and talk about its development. Special guests: Christina Leitner and Beatrix Unger (Kaufmann Museum Haslach / Textile Centre Haslach). Guided tour ticket €4 plus admission. Registration requested at +43 732 7070 1912 or online. | 6:30 pm–7:30 pm |
| Sun 26.04 | Öffentliche Führung durch die Aktuellen Ausstellungen des Nordico Stadtmuseum Dauer 60 Minuten, max. 25 Personen, Führungkarte € 4 (zzgl. Eintritt) Keine Anmeldung erforderlich („first-come-first-served“) | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm |
| Sun 03.05 | Öffentliche Führung durch die Aktuellen Ausstellungen des Nordico Stadtmuseum Dauer 60 Minuten, max. 25 Personen, Führungkarte € 4 (zzgl. Eintritt) Keine Anmeldung erforderlich („first-come-first-served“) | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm |
| Fri 08.05 | Made in Linz Excursion: Off to Bischofstraße We head to nearby Bischofstraße and learn more about the businesses located there: Antiquitäten zum Taubenschlag (Kajetan Mayrwöger), ARGE Trödlerladen (formerly Zuckerl Schwager), the Shoe Museum / shoemaker Siegfried Hain, violin maker Franz Übelhör, as well as MASI Knitwear on Waltherstraße. Cost: €7 plus museum admission. Meeting point: Nordico ticket desk. Registration required at +43 732 7070 1912 or online. | 3:00 pm–4:00 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.
