"Life? Or theater?" On the life and work of Charlotte Salomon

Online Talk with Astrid Schmetterling

Charlotte Salomon (1917-1943), who grew up in Berlin and was artistically active from an early age. She was forced to drop her art studies due to anti-Semitic persecution and flee to the south of France. There she created her three-part autobiographical picture cycle „Life? or Theatre? A Singspiel“ consisting of 800 gouaches. The text level and the pieces of music written to match the pictures give the work the character of a screenplay or a contemporary graphic novel. Salomon was murdered in the extermination camp Auschwitz in 1943. Before her deportation, she handed over her work with the words „Keep this safe, it’s my whole life“.
We are delighted that the art historian Astrid Schmetterling (Goldsmiths, University of London) will give us an insight into the life and work of this extraordinary artist. Schmetterling’s research focuses on the relationship between history, culture and memory, between the act of bearing witness and the act of making art.

Price info: Participation is free of charge. You will receive the link (Zoom) by e-mail on August 28, 2024.The number of participants is limited.