SINGAPORE (Nov 18): For the first time, 25 paintings from German-born abstract artist Dorle Lindner, whose earlier works had drawn the attention of the legendary Pablo Picasso himself, will be exhibited in Singapore.
The exhibition, to be held at the Miaja Gallery, is the culmination of a series of serendipitous events that had led the young Dorle to New York in 1966, where a chance encounter with a famous photographer brought her art to the attention of the Spanish master.
Today, more than half a century later, the re-discovery of her artistic genius in the unlikely setting of her son’s home in Singapore has brought the mythical, ghostly and stunning art of Lindner to the public. While Magic Worlds of Fantasy – a book on abstract works which featured her among four other artists – was published in 1978, Dorle has remained virtually unknown until now.
Her two sons, Nicholas and Nelson, curate up to 100 of her known works for this exhibition.
Born in 1942 in war-time Berlin, Lindner is an artistic genius who has long been fascinated by spirituality and fantasy. She abandoned a fine art education in Munich’s finest art school, and fled to New York without her father’s consent. There, while working at the infamous Plaza Hotel, she met David Douglas Duncan, a photographer who knew Pablo Picasso well, and who made the book, ‘Picasso’s Picasso’. She showed him her portfolio of artworks, which Douglas then showed to Picasso.
In fact, Lindner was highly inspired by Picasso, Kandinsky, Miro, Monet and Chagall. While painting, she draws inspiration from them as she combines pain and euphoria, often diving deep into feelings. Today, Lindner lives in a small village in England, where she continues to paint with gusto and relish.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 10am to 5pm, only on 22 November (Friday). Artworks to be shown will include oils on canvas, scraperboard pieces (similar to those shown to Picasso), mixed media (oil with gold leaf and sand). To read about how and why some of her works ended up being exhibited the first time, visit www.lindnerart.com.
