Exhibition Preview

The material plays a major role in this, often being unusual and demanding—such as cellulose, an industrial intermediate product. Through cutting, tearing, moistening, and drying, she created reliefs that appear archaic, earthy, and eruptive. Beyond these works, metal sculptures dominate Reum’s oeuvre. Stainless steel, aluminum, and brass rank among her preferred materials. With exceedingly fine incisions, she inscribed paths of light into the metal that—depending on the viewer’s position and the direction of light—generate a vibrating, constantly shifting visual impression. Her persistent refinement of these light lines ultimately led to her monumental stainless‑steel sculptures. Several tubes, some rising up to six meters tall, twist and branch upward into space. With these late works, the artist, who was born in Saarbrücken in 1926 and died in Buchen in 2015, created that unmistakable style which became her artistic signature.

On the occasion of her centenary, Museum Würth honors Gertrude Reum with a comprehensive exhibition showcasing works from all phases of her creative career.