Martha Jungwirth untitled (nude) 1969

Martha Jungwirth is an Austrian painter renowned for her expansive abstract works, characterized by energetic brushwork and richly nuanced color palettes. Born in Vienna, her oeuvre is distinguished by an intuitive working process and strong emotive presence, drawing frequent comparisons to American Abstract Expressionism.
While her early works were influenced by travel, including landscapes and diverse cultural impressions, she later increasingly moved into non-figurative territory. Since the 1960s, her practice has consistently explored the dynamic relationship between color and form. During this period, she also created this collage of a female nude, in which the pronounced fragmentation of the figure is continued through the collage technique itself. The body is modeled through color rather than line, resulting in an abstract composition in which the figurative only gradually becomes recognizable on closer viewing.
In 2021, Martha Jungwirth was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize for her artistic achievements.