Mary Bauermeister

Studio of the artist

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Berlin, 401contemporary, Farbrausch - Blaze of Colour, February 27 - April 16, 2016

• Rare large-format work from Bauermeister’s late period
• Sophisticated technique in casein tempera with strong visual appeal
• Historic value by a key Fluxus figure

A rare large-format work from the final decade of Mary Bauermeister’s career, Farb-Fließbild exemplifies her lifelong engagement with perception, natural form, and layered systems. Rendered in nuanced shades of black, grey, and white, the work reflects a meditative restraint that marks her late practice.

Painted in 2015 using casein tempera, a medium valued for its matte surface, Farb-Fließbild belongs to the Farbrausch-Serie (2015/2016), in which Bauermeister turned her focus toward elemental flow and structure. Delicate bands and washes of monochrome pigment drift across the surface, evoking organic movement and atmospheric depth. The title underscores the dynamic yet controlled interplay between fluidity and form.

While best known for her early involvement with Fluxus and the Cologne avant-garde, Bauermeister continued to evolve artistically throughout her life. In Farb-Fließbild, she revisits core concerns - order, chance, structure, and intuition through an abstract visual language. "To make art was more a finding, searching process than a knowing, she said," a sentiment clearly reflected in the quiet complexity of the present work. As part of her later oeuvre, pieces from this period reflect Bauermeister’s enduring curiosity and conceptual clarity.