You or Me
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Over the course of her long career, Lassnig radicalized the practice of self-portraiture. Her approach is based on what she called "body awareness." Instead of painting what she sees objectively, the artist depicts what she feels, subjectively, representing only those portions of her body that she senses at any given moment. This method results in self-portraits such as the present work, in which the artist’s partial, summarily rendered figure is isolated against an empty background. Created late in Lassnig’s career, You or Me is fraught with psychological tension. The potential for violence is palpable, as the artist holds twin guns, one pointed at her head and the other at us.
Artwork Details
- Title: You or Me
- Artist: Maria Lassnig (Austrian, Kappel am Krappfeld 1919–2014 Vienna)
- Date: 2005
- Geography: Country of Origin Austria
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 79 15/16 × 61 in. (203 × 155 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Private Collection. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
- Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Maria Lassnig. Photograph: Stefan
Altenburger, Zurich - Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art