EXISTENZ

Felix Nussbaum (1904-44) was a German painter of Jewish descent, murdered in Auschwitz by the Nazis. After more than four decades in oblivion, his native city Osnabrück in northern Germany brought this distinguished artist to light again by opening a museum dedicated to his oeuvre, the Felix-Nussbaum-Haus. The artist s work, life, and fate resonates in this expressive structure that was designed by celebrated American architect Daniel Libeskind. German artist Brigitte Waldach, born 1966, has produced an impressive body work, mainly of large-format drawing and voluminous installations. Existenz (existence) she conceived especially for Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, where it has been on display since December 2018. It consists of three-dimensional drawings, excerpts from Nussbaum s letters, and a sound collage, involving the viewer in a dialogue with his paintings. This book documents the environment Waldach has created within Libeskind s architecture to reflect upon and experience Felix Nussbaum s art from our contemporary perspective. Text in English and German.