IRMA STERN

208pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, Hirmer Publishers, Munich, & Brücke Museum, Berlin, 2025

ISBN: 9783777445298

Artist Irma Stern (1894–1966) was born in South Africa, the daughter of German Jews, and spent her childhood and teen years between the two countries. As a young adult she lived in Berlin (1914-1920), studied painting, became a member of the Novembergruppe, and was well-known for her "exotic" paintings. She left Germany forever in 1933 and later became a prominent artist in South Africa. This publication focuses on her expressive portraits and addresses questions regarding the contexts in which the works were created and how they are seen today.

Contributions include:

"When Do Black Lives Matter? Irma Stern's representations of Black women in the Global South" by LaNitra M. Berger

"Athi-Patra Ruga: Luxuriate in Paradox, a conversation with Lisa Marei Schmidt and Lisa Hörstmann"

"Gcotyelwa Mashiqa: There's so much that needs to be done!, a conversation with Lisa Marei Schmidt and Lisa Hörstmann".

Lisa Hörstmann completed her doctorate on South African settler primitivism. She is a research associate at the Hamburger Bahnhof contemporary art museum in Berlin.

Lisa Marei Schmidt is Director of the Brücke Museum Berlin.