Maria Lassnig

Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) was an Austrian painter and graphic artist. Born in Kappel am Krappfeld, she was the daughter of an Austrian war veteran. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and moved to Paris in 1950, where she was influenced by the work of the cubists, surrealists, and abstract expressionists. In 1959, she returned to Vienna and began to produce her own works. Her paintings are characterized by psychological introspection, and she often incorporated elements of self-portraiture into her work. In the 1970s, she began to explore the concept of “body awareness” and to develop her own style, which she referred to as “body-related painting.” Her work often featured distorted, brightly colored figures and was heavily influenced by the Neo-Expressionist movement. She was awarded the Austrian State Prize for Painting in 1977 and was made an honorary member of the Vienna Secession in 1989. She continued to paint until her death in 2014.