Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff (1923 – 2011) is one of a small number of female German artists to have enjoyed an international career between the 1950s and 1970s with her sculpture and drawings. She was the only female sculptor, indeed the only woman, among the founders of the notable group of German artists ZEN 49. Milestones along her path to success were the invitations to take part in documenta in Kassel in 1959 and 1964 and the Biennale di Venezia in 1962. She was awarded major prizes for her art and was featured in the relevant publications about sculpture after 1945. And yet her name remains largely unknown. If anything, she is recognised as one half of the acclaimed Berlin duo Matschinsky-Denninghoff. Her husband Martin Matschinsky (1921–2020) started out as a photographer and stage actor. In 1955 he began helping his wife to implement her sculptures. From 1970 they signed these together, laying the foundations for the Matschinsky-Denninghoff brand. Even sculptures for which Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff had garnered an international reputation between 1955 and 1970 were retrospectively declared by the couple to be joint creations. Their large works in the signature style were to become landmarks in several West German cities.
The exhibition at the Berlinische Galerie breaks new ground by evaluating the Matschinsky-Denninghoff estate and proposes a fresh look at the artist’s early work. The show will include an abundance of unknown material, including sculptures, drawings and personal documents.
The estate is managed by a foundation, the Stiftung Matschinsky-Denninghoff, under the roof of the Berlinische Galerie in collaboration with Van Ham Estate.