Hedwig Thun

For decades, the works of Hedwig Thun (1892–1969) lay almost forgotten in a basement. Over 80 preserved works, newly discovered documents, drawings and watercolors, poems, and photos reveal the life of a unique artist who studied under Kandinsky at the Bauhaus and became a prominent figure in gestural informalism. The influence of the Bauhaus on the artist is evident, as she exhibited in the 1930s in Hamburg, Dresden, and even at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her career came to an abrupt end during the Nazi regime. When she resumed her work in the 1940s, her painting became large-scale, gestural, impasto, and highly relevant with dripping techniques, leading to numerous exhibitions celebrating her work. However, with her death, her second near-career also came to an end—until a treasure was unearthed from her estate.