Irma Stern: African in Europe - European in Africa

Irma Stern's posthumous fame has dwindled outside her home country, but this monograph serves to correct that injustice. She was a master of color and composition, known for her portraits and still lifes that reflected her passion for travel and devotion to home. The book traces her childhood in South Africa and her family's flight to Germany in the wake of the South African War, her artistic development in Weimar, Germany's expressionist avant-garde, her return to her homeland, and her productive travels throughout the African continent. It also focuses on the political and cultural forces that shaped her work, including the unification of South Africa, the rise of expressionism in Germany, the interplay between indigenous and colonial art, and her continued influence on contemporary South African artists.

Format: Hardback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 04 March 2021
Publisher: Prestel

Irma Stern's vibrant and expressive paintings played a significant role in the modernization of early 20th-century South African art. While she received widespread recognition during her lifetime, her posthumous fame has dwindled outside her home country, and this beautifully produced monograph aims to rectify that injustice. Stern, known for her mastery of color and composition, is best known for her portraits and still lifes that captured her passion for travel and devotion to home. Drawing from letters, journals, her illustrated travelogues, and the latest scholarship, this volume traces Stern's childhood in South Africa and her family's flight to Germany in the aftermath of the South African War (1899-1902). Readers will delve into her artistic development in the vibrant center of Weimar, Germany's expressionist avant-garde, her return to her homeland and the critical reception of her early work, and finally her fruitful travels throughout the African continent, resulting in widespread acclaim. The book also explores the political and cultural forces that shaped Stern's work, including the unification of South Africa, the rise of expressionism in Germany, the interplay between indigenous and colonial art on the African continent, and Stern's enduring influence on contemporary South African artists.

Weight: 594g
Dimension: 168 x 223 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783791378077