Art in the Elevator: Maria Lassnig / Hubert Sielecki. Kantate (The Ballad of Maria Lassnig)

Maria Lassnig (Kappel am Krappfeld, AT, 1919–Vienna, AT, 2014) was one of Austria’s most celebrated artists, noted for her paintings, especially her unsparing self-portraits, as well as her animated films. In 1980, she was appointed professor of painting at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the first woman to hold such a position in the German-speaking countries. In 1982, she established the training studio for experimental animated film.
Appearing before her own paintings and in-betweens, the artist recounts the story of her life in a fourteen-stanza recitative chant reminiscent of popular songs, accompanied by a hurdy-gurdy. Her sense of humor is evident in the way she stages herself in a variety of roles—as a schoolchild, punk, amazon, and femme fatale—and her self-ironic reflections on key episodes in her life.

About Art in the Elevator
With kind support from the Salzburg AG, the monitors of the MönchsbergAufzug are used as an extended exhibition space. Video and film works by both internationally renowned and emerging artists are presented for three months at a time. Thematically, the program is informed by current exhibitions, while at the same time offering a glimpse into the museum’s own media collection.