Almut Heise

Suspenseful Gazes

Bringing together the paintings of Hamburg artist Almut Heise, this catalogue raisonne spanning the time from 1968 to the present is an impressive display of her unique painterly signature. With a distinctive style that lies somewhere between New Objectivity, Pop Art, and Photorealism, Heise's staged realities are equally narrative and enigmatic; elegant, cool, and yet familiar in an almost soothing way as Brigitte Koelle describes it in her essay. One could interpret Heise's interiors and portraits as an artistic exploration of the act of seeing itself. Whether through the tension-filled domestic scenes where intricately arranged furnishings, patterns, and objects reminiscent of the 1950s coexist as equals, seamlessly blending foregrounds and backgrounds into a single surface, or in her portrayal of figures whose lines of sight-enhanced by meticulously spatial composition, opera glasses, or mirrors-become the primary subject of her paintings.

This catalogue documents some 110 oil paintings, while also situating them within a broader art historical context through insightful commentaries by art critic Kito Nedo.