Städel Museum
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The Painter Ottilie W. Roederstein
She was one of the outstanding women artists of her time – the German-Swiss painter Ottilie W. Roederstein. Self-determined and emancipated, she asserted her place in the art world. Her multifaceted oeuvre reflects various modernist trends.
Welcome! The Städel Museum is open.
Official proof of vaccination or recovery and the obligation to wear a mask during your visit have been suspended. Tickets are available in our online shop and at the ticket counter.
Please note: The Modern Art Collection is currently closed for the installation of a new lighting and colour scheme.
We look forward to your visit!
Summer special: Take advantage of the opportunity and visit the Städel Museum for a reduced admission fee of 10 euros! See the current special exhibitions and permanent collections and try out one of our many educational offers!
This summer the Städel Museum will present a comprehensive retrospective featuring 75 paintings and drawings that will provide an overview of the artistic development of a painter distinguished by her stylistic versatility. From 1891 onwards, after training in Zurich, Berlin, and Paris, Roederstein lived in Frankfurt am Main. In 1909, she and her partner, the gynaecologist Elisabeth H. Winterhalter, settled in the neighbouring town of Hofheim am Taunus. As a free-lance portraitist, Roederstein was firmly established in the male-dominated art world and self-confidently disregarded the prevailing social norms of her time. Her works were shown in numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad – from Frankfurt, Zurich, and Paris to London and Chicago – gaining her wide recognition among her contemporaries. Yet despite her extensive exhibition activities and onetime renown, the painter has all but fallen into oblivion.
Roederstein’s work is closely intertwined with the history of the Städel Museum and the city of Frankfurt. Her studio in the Städel School was just a few steps away from the museum, which she visited regularly, its collection being an important source of inspiration for her art. Her own works already entered the Städel holdings during her lifetime. In 1902, the museum acquired its first work ever by a contemporary female artist: Roederstein’s painting ‘Old Woman Reading’. The exhibition accordingly builds on the Städel Museum collection which, meanwhile comprising 28 works by the artist, represents one of the most important Roederstein holdings apart from those of the Stadtmuseum Hofheim am Taunus and the Kunsthaus Zürich.
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)
Picture: Ottilie W. Roederstein, Self-Portrait with a Hat, 1904, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Photo: Städel Museum
Helene Roederstein with Umbrella, 1888
Oil on canvas, 115 × 84.5 cm
Private collection, Zurich
Photo: Kunsthaus Zürich
Engaged Couple, 1897
Tempera on wood, 39.5 × 46.5 cm
Kunsthaus Zürich, 1897
Self-Portrait with Red Cap, 1894
Tempera on wood, 36 × 24 cm
Kunstmuseum Basel
Photo: Martin P. Bühler
Portrait of the Painter Jakob Nussbaum, 1909
Oil on canvas, 86.5 × 61.5 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum
Self-Portrait with a Hat, 1904
Oil on canvas, 55.3 × 46.1 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum
Roederstein and Winterhalter, ca. 1930
Photograph
Roederstein-Jughenn Archive in the Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Roederstein-Jughenn-Archive in the Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Feminine Ingenuity? Roederstein and the sense of self
Thu, 8 September, 7.00 pm
Roederstein: An artist’s life in Frankfurt
Thu, 13 October, 7.00 pm
English is your native tongue and you’d like to talk to others about art in that language? Or you’re a non-native speaker and would be interested in building on your knowledge of English outside your professional environment? With Art Talks, we are offering a program of guided tours providing a relaxed atmosphere in which the fine arts will inspire you to perfect your English. The prerequisite is good command of English; specialized knowledge is not required.
Costs: 10 Euro (includes entrance fee)
Tickets: Available at our online shop
Tours are available in English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch and Japanese. Please contact us to arrange your group visit even if you do not wish to book a guided tour.
Booking and advice
+49(0)69-605098-200
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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. Parts of it will soon be accessible to the interested 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.
Sponsored by
Gemeinnützige Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain GmbH
With support from
Friede Springer Stiftung, Ernst Max von Grunelius Stiftung, Damengesellschaft des Städelschen Museums-Vereins
The Roederstein-Jughenn Archive is being indexed with support from
Rudolf-August Oetker-Stiftung, Damengesellschaft des Städelschen Museums-Vereins, and a private donor
Media partner
Frankfurter Rundschau
Cultural partner
hr2-kultur