Charlotte Posenenske
Charlotte Posenenske (*1930 Wiesbaden; †1985 Frankfurt am Main, Germany) is considered one of the most important representatives of minimalism. Posenenske’s artistic development departed from painting, evolved into plastische Bilder, plastic images, that progressively reached out into space, and culminated in sculptures that constitute her major work in the 1960s: serially produced objects and sculptures made out of sheet steel which can be freely combined. These works suspend the subjectivity of the artist and replace the traditional, autonomous artwork with industrial artifacts. By detaching the latter from their everyday functions they become apparent as aesthetic objects and simultaneously undermine art’s commodity form. Posenenske’s work explicitly purses a democratic ambition through low production costs and by creating possibilities for participation.
Her works have been shown in solo exhibitions at Haugar Art Museum, Tønsberg, Norway (2025), Fondazione Antonio Dalle Nogare, Bolzano, Italy (2021), MUDAM Luxembourg (2020), Kunstsammlung NRW, Düsseldorf, Germany (2020), DIA Foundation, Beacon, USA (2019), MACBA, Barcelona, Spain (2019), MUHKA, Antwerpen, The Netherlands (2015), Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2010), MMK, Frankfurt/Main, Germany (1990) and many others.
Furthermore, the artist has taken part in numerous group shows, including exhibitions at Museion, Bolzano, Italy (2025), Frac Lorraine, Metz, France (2024), Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany (2023), mumok, Vienna, Austria (2022, 2012), Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland (2021), Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany (2020), Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin, Germany (2019), 5th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art, Russia (2019), Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany (2018), MAAT, Lisbon, Portugal (2017), Tate Modern, London, UK (2016), Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark (2016), Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Switzerland (2016), MAMCO Geneva, Switzerland (2016), Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany (2011) and at documenta 12, Kassel, Germany (2007).
"Monotony is beautiful."
Early Works
Diagonale Faltung
“I make series because I do not want to make individual pieces for individuals, in order to have elements combinable within a system, in order to make something that is repeatable, objective, and because it is economical.”
Serie B
Serie C
"The things I make are changeable, as simple as possible, reproducible. They are components of a space, because they are similar to building elements, they can always be rearranged into new combinations or positions, thereby altering space. I leave this alteration to the consumer, who thereby again and again participates in the assembly process. The simplicity of the basic geometric forms is beautiful and suited to demonstrate the principles of rationalised alteration."
Serie D
Serie DW
Serie E
Film
Archiv Charlotte Posenenske
The Archiv Charlotte Posenenske is a space dedicated exclusively to documenting and presenting the work of Charlotte Posenenske. On display are her artworks alongside archival materials related to her Frankfurt milieu of the 1960s. At the same time, contemporary figures from the fields of art, design, and architecture are invited to engage with the artist’s creative concepts and present their own ideas.
Before withdrawing from the art world in 1968 for socio-political reasons, Charlotte Posenenske (1930–1985) was active across various artistic disciplines. The industrially produced and sculpturally radical body of work she developed during her final three creative years was posthumously continued unchanged by her second husband, Dr. Burkhard Brunn (1936–2021), through “Authorized Reconstructions”. Thanks in large part to his dedicated commitment, these works gained international circulation and recognition, entering collections such as Dia Art Foundation, Beacon; MoMA, New York; Tate Modern, London; M+, Hong Kong; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; and Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin. The Archiv Charlotte Posenenske itself would not exist without Burkhard Brunn’s engagement.
Contact
acp[at]mehdi-chouakri.com
+49 30 28391153
Archive Material
Past Exhibitions
Institutional Exhibitions
