Städel Museum
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The Painter Ottilie W. Roederstein
The German-Swiss painter Ottilie W. Roederstein (1859–1937) was one of the outstanding women artists of the period around 1900. After training in Zurich, Berlin, and Paris, she lived in Frankfurt am Main from 1891 to 1909, when she and her partner, the gynaecologist Elisabeth Winterhalter, settled in the neighbouring town of Hofheim am Taunus. As a freelance portraitist, Roederstein was a firmly established name in the male-dominated world of art and self-confidently defied prevailing societal norms. Her multifaceted œuvre mirrors numerous modernist tendencies, from academic art and experiments with old-masterly tempera painting to stylistic devices of Impressionism, Symbolism, and New Objectivity. Despite her extensive exhibition activities and her onetime reputation, she is today virtually unknown. The Städel Museum is presenting a comprehensive retrospective that, comprising altogether 75 paintings and drawings, retraces the artistic development of this stylistically eclectic female painter. Roederstein’s 28 works in the Städel collection form the core of the exhibition and constitute one of the most important holdings of her artworks, on a par with those of the Stadtmuseum Hofheim am Taunus and the Kunsthaus Zürich.
The artist’s work is intimately interwoven with the history of the Städel Museum and the city of Frankfurt. Works by Roederstein already entered the Städel collection during her lifetime and her studio at the Städelschule was just steps away from the museum. With an abundance of historical photographs, documents, and letters, the exhibition sheds light on Roederstein's role as an influential networker and teacher.
The exhibition was realized in cooperation with the Kunsthaus Zürich.
Curators: Dr. Alexander Eiling (Head of Modern Art, Städel Museum), Eva-Maria Höllerer (Research Assistant, Modern Art, Städel Museum)
Archive: Dr. Iris Schmeisser (Head of Provenance Research and the Historical Archive, Städel Museum)
Sponsored by: Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain GmbH
With support from: Friede Springer Stiftung, Max Ernst von Grunelius Stiftung
Picture: Ottilie W. Roederstein, Self-Portrait with a Hat, 1904, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Photo: Städel Museum
Ottilie W. Roederstein (1859–1937)
Helene Roederstein with Umbrella, 1888
Oil on canvas, 115 × 84.5 cm
Private collection, Zurich
Photo: Kunsthaus Zürich
Ottilie W. Roederstein (1859–1937)
Engaged Couple, 1897
Tempera on wood, 39.5 × 46.5 cm
Kunsthaus Zürich, 1897
Ottilie W. Roederstein (1859–1937)
Self-Portrait with Red Cap, 1894
Tempera on wood, 36 × 24 cm
Kunstmuseum Basel
Photo: Martin P. Bühler
Ottilie W. Roederstein (1859–1937)
Portrait of the Painter Jakob Nussbaum, 1909
Oil on canvas, 86.5 × 61.5 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum
Ottilie W. Roederstein (1859–1937)
Self-Portrait with a Hat, 1904
Oil on canvas, 55.3 × 46.1 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum
Photograph
Roederstein-Jughenn Archive in the Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Roederstein-Jughenn-Archive in the Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
The catalogue for the exhibition “Self. Determined. The Painter Ottilie W. Roederstein”.
In 2019, the Städel Museum received the generous private donation of the extensive legacy left behind by the artist Ottilie W. Roederstein. These exceptional archival holdings are now being cared for and processed at the museum and will soon be accessible to the public. The written and pictorial material dates from throughout the artist’s biography and career.
On the occasion of the exhibition, selected documents and photographs from the Städel Museum’s Roederstein-Jughenn Archive will offer initial insights into these important holdings.