Anna Oppermann: Drawings

Surreal, psychedelic riffs on domestic objects from a trailblazing feminist artist

From her beginning in the mid-1960s through the early ’70s, German artist Anna Oppermann (1940–1993)—best known for her encyclopedic, immersive installations—created an astonishing series of surreal, almost psychedelic drawings that quietly explode the private space of the home, and her experience within it. These early drawings contribute to a feminist reentering of spheres traditionally associated with women, casting everyday objects as symbolic, consequential protagonists: houseplants sprawl to take over the picture plane, windows and mirrors provide views into other worlds and tables display drawings that themselves open out into new domestic scenes. By placing her own body—her knees, arms, the back of her head—as reference points in the work, Oppermann emphasizes the gendered realms of the home and the relationships that we form to our private spaces.

This volume gathers these drawings and early installations in an English-language publication for the first time.