This retrospective will explore the full arc of Joan Mitchell’s artistic practice, from her exceptional New York paintings in the early 1950s to the majestic, large-scale multi-panel works made in France later in her career. Co-organized with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the exhibition features rarely shown paintings and works on paper from public and private collections in the U.S. and Europe. The exhibition moves through focused suites of work, following Mitchell's cyclical way of working, in which subjects and gestures appear and resurface years later. A selection of projects created with and for writers like Frank O’Hara and Jacques Dupin will underscore the role of poetry in her life and work; others signal themes including her relationships with music and the artists of the 19th century. Additionally, the exhibition will feature transitional works that unfold her process and emphasize the role of Mitchell’s exquisite small paintings, pastels, and works on paper. An accompanying catalog will provide a sweeping scholarly account of the artist’s career.

SFMOMA
Baltimore Museum of Art

Whether loving or distant, near or far, alive or dead, mothers are the source and existential beginning of human life. There is hardly another term or concept that evokes more manifold associations of, reactions to, and clichés about roles. The international exhibition MOTHER! shows how art has conveyed changing perceptions of motherhood from Old Masters and early avant-garde artists to the present day. Showing works ranging from Louise Bourgeois, Rineke Dijkstra, and Paula Modersohn-Becker to Yoko Ono, Pablo Picasso, and Egon Schiele, the show concentrates on the period when the feminist revolution challenged the traditional role assigned to women. From the invention of the contraceptive pill and legalized abortion in the twentieth century to current ideas of roles including biotechnological possibilities and queer family structures, the image of the mother is investigated with regard to cultural expectations and norms. The exhibition brings together contemporary art, art historical works, films, literature, as well as artifacts from the worlds of science and popular culture, in order to convey the multifaceted topic of motherhood.

Kunsthalle Mannheim

90 artists from 35 countries show the diverse artistic face of Europe: Diversity United presents established and young artists and advocates a European dialogue. Works by Rineke Dijkstra are included.

With stops in Berlin, Moscow and Paris, the Diversity United exhibition addresses themes such as freedom and dignity, dialogue and conflict, political and personal identity, democracy and its erosion, (fear of) the future, solidarity and separation, the current pandemic and its consequences. The exhibition shows the vitality and diversity of the contemporary European art scene after the fall of the Iron Curtain until today and underlines the importance of intercultural dialogue in times of political uncertainties.

On this occasion, Dijkstra was in conversation with curator Simon Baker and talked about her contribution to the exhibition. Watch the artist talk here.

Diversity United

We congratulate Rineke Dijkstra for being granted the 2020 The Johannes Vermeer Award! Dijkstra was awarded for her significant contribution to photography and portraiture, promoting the international prestige of Dutch visual arts with her work. The jury declared: "This work is for eternity. Few artists have been given the talent to create these types of images."

The presentation ceremony will take place on Thursday, 18 February 2021 in the Ridderzaal in The Hague.

Johannes Vermeer Award