Fascinated by female artists who – like herself – often painted themselves in front of the mirror, Irene Andessner studied their biographies and work programmes, beginning with the Renaissance – the time when female visual artists first became noticed in the history of art. The oil painting “Selbstportrait 1554” [self-portrait], painted in 1995 after a self-portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola, falls into the preparatory phase of the “Vorbilder” project which Andessner was to undertake using only video and photography. Alongside the huge example of the Renaissance painters there are self-portraits by Angelica Kauffman, Gwen John, Frida Kahlo, which Andessner comprehends in the atmosphere of light and colour, bearing and facial expression, adapting the style of clothing of each to today’s fashion. The settings change according to the presentation, the facial expression is different from motof to motif. The look in the mirror reflects (in contrast to the male self-portrait view) the common ground of the women artists, over 500 years distant from modern times – even when a video or photo camera takes the place of the mirror. The video sequences show how Andessner takes up the positions in which her predecessors immortalised themelves.

Exhibitions:
“Vorbilder”, Galerie Carol Johnssen, Munich, 1996
“Vorbilder”, Galerie Claudia Bˆer, Hanover, 1997
“... und der Stuhl dazu”, Galerie Siegfried Sander, Kassel, 1997
“Irene Andessner”, Lindinger + Schmid, Regensburg, 1998
“Vorbilder”, Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz, 1998
“Vorbilder #1 Sofonisba Anguissola”, Lutz Teutloff Galerie in the Trafohaus projectroom, Berlin, 1998
“Vorbilder”, Galerie Monika Beck, Homburg/Saar, 1998
“Vorbilder”, Galerie Thomas Gehrke, Hamburg, 1999
“Vorbilder #1”, PhotoConcept, Frankfurt Book Fair, courtesy Lutz Teutloff Galerie, 1999

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