This catalog pays tribute to a critical and independent voice from the German Democratic Republic and an artist who was long denied her place in the art-historical canon. 

Annemirl Bauer’s (b. Jena, 1939; d. East Berlin, 1989) paintings, drawings, collages, and objects probe outdated role models and power dynamics between the sexes, self-empowerment, interpersonal relationships, human rights, the devastation of the natural environment, the Berlin Wall, restrictive border policies, and state oppression. Her works bear witness to her self-image as a painter and cool-eyed observer who untiringly advocated for social justice and rebelled against the ruling Socialist Unity Party’s repressive policies.

This catalog, which accompanies a retrospective of Bauer’s work at DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam, provides insight into the diversity of the artist’s extraordinary oeuvre. It charts new perspectives on biographical, feminist, social, and political aspects of her career and the technical dimensions of her work, in addition to featuring personal experiences and reminiscences of those who knew Bauer. The volume includes contributions from Amrei Bauer, Marie Gerbaulet, Doris Paschiller, Kerstin Schankweiler, and Carolin Würfel, as well as a biography by Luisa Bachmann.