SUSAN SWARTZ IS NOW FEATURED IN SOLO EXHIBITION AT LUDWIG MUSEUM, KOBLENZ
On Wednesday evening, May 20th, an exhibition of paintings by Susan Swartz, opened at the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz, Germany. This solo exhibition entitled, Personal Path, features more than 80 works of art spanning various stages of her career. Works exhibited encompass many styles, showcasing Swartz’s evolution as an artist from a realist painter to an abstract painter. The exhibition will be on view through August 2, 2015.
More than 300 guests attended the preview event. Remarks were made by our distinguished guests: Joachim Hofmann-Göttig, the Lord Mayor of Koblenz; Julia Klöckner, the Vice President of the CDU; Professor Dr. Beate Reifensheid, the Director of the Museum; Professor Dr. Dieter Ronte, the Exhibition Curator; and Susan Swartz. The exhibition was organized and made possible by the Ludwig Museum and the Foundation for Art and Culture.
The Ludwig Museum was founded in 1992 and its permanent collection was assembled by the prominent collectors Peter and Irene Ludwig. The collection is mainly post-1945 German and French art with well-known artists represented such as Pablo Picasso, Jean Dubuffet and American artists, Jasper Johns, Willem de Kooning and Robert Rauschenberg.
Professor Dr. Dieter Ronte, the curator of the exhibition, and former Director of the Museum of Modern Art Vienna and the Kunst Museum Bonn, describes Swartz’s works as, “witnesses of personal introspection as self-discovery and self-determination through pictorial bursts […] full of romanticism, aspiration, love and always on the search for the secret supernatural, pursuing people’s mind towards nature, looking for a universal poetry which binds at the same time scholarship, religion and visual arts.”
Working primarily with acrylics on linen, Swartz’s work is known for its rich texture and the intricate layering of color she employs to give her paintings life and energy. With her evocation of coastal splendor and mountain drama, Swartz follows in the tradition of the great German painters, 19th century Romantic sage Caspar David Friedrich, and 20th century icon Gerhard Richter. She is inspired by the intersection of art, nature, and spirituality.
Commenting on the exhibit in Koblenz, Swartz says “I am delighted to share my work with visitors to the Ludwig Museum and the citizens of Germany. Painting is both my passion and my profession and, as the name of this exhibition suggests, my evolution as an artist has been a journey down a very personal path. I paint what I see before me, employing different styles and techniques depending on the imagery and what speaks to me.”
Swartz’s career has long been inspired by her views of the natural world and her spiritual beliefs. As the Official Environmental Artist of the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Swartz’s work both as a painter and an activist is widely recognized and credited with advancing conversation about human stewardship of natural resources.
Swartz serves on the Dean’s Council of the Harvard Divinity School. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Kollegienkirche Salzburg in Austria, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC, the Springville Museum in Springville, Utah, and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is represented by Belgravia Gallery in London.
Susan Swartz is available for personal interviews upon request.