Rita Ackermann (born April 19, 1968) is a Hungarian-born American artist recognized for her abstract paintings that incorporate human forms, primarily focusing on themes of anthropomorphism and femininity. Her works, often depicting women and allusions to fairy tales, explore the nuances of adolescent disinterest using a unique and expressive style of brushwork.[1] She lives in New York City.
Ackermann was born in Budapest.[2] Ackermann studied at the University of Fine Arts Budapest from 1989 until 1992, where she studied with the painter Károly Klimó.[2] In 1992, Ackermann moved to New York City to study at The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture through the Hanes Family Foundation.[3] Upon arriving in New York, the artist, who was originally “Rita Bakos,” changed her name to “Rita Ackermann,” her grandmother’s maiden name.[3]
In 1994, Ackermann was commissioned by The New Museum to create a faux stained-glass window titled Who Are We? Where Did We Come From?.[4] That same year, she had her first solo exhibition at Andrea Rosen Gallery in New York City which was reviewed in Artforum by critic Keith Seward.[5] In 1999, Ackermann mounted her first institutional exhibition at The Swiss Institute in New York.[6] In 2002, she had a solo exhibition of paintings, collage and works on paper titled Snowfall in August at Museum Het Domein in the Netherlands.[7] From 2006-2008 Ackermann worked exclusively in collage, resulting in a series of works she compressed between two vertical sheets of Plexiglas.[8] Ackermann participated in the 2008 Whitney Biennial.[9] In 2011 her collaboration with filmmaker Harmony Korine titled, “Shadow Fux” was exhibited at The Swiss Institute in New York City.[10] Ackermann received her first major survey exhibition in 2011 titled, "BAKOS," at the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art in Budapest.
In 2012, Ackermann was the subject of a mid-career retrospective at Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, curated by Bonnie Clearwater.[11] The exhibition featured paintings, drawings, and collages from 1993 to 2012.[11] In 2014, the Sammlung Friedrichshof in Austria held an exhibition titled, "Meditation on Violence” by Ackermann, which focused on a series of ‘chalkboard paintings’ which were the result of experimenting with pushing the boundaries of painting.[12][13] A survey of the artist's ‘chalkboard paintings’ was held in 2016 at Malmö Konsthall in Sweden titled, “The Aesthetic of Disappearance”.[14] An additional survey of Ackermann’s works in chalk titled, “Movements as Monuments” was held in 2018 at La Triennale di Milano. In 2019, Ackermann began to work on her Mama series, which she has continued through today.[15] A series of “Mama” paintings will be shown alongside her earliest drawings and paintings created from 1993-1996, in an exhibition titled "HIDDEN" at MASI Lugano in March 2023.[16]
Clearwater, Bonnie, Ensslin, Felix (et al.), 'Rita Ackermann', New York: Skira Rizzoli, 2011
Orui, Makoto (ed.), 'Rita Ackermann. Keep my mouth shut and no headaches… Works 1996-1993', New York: Andrew Rosen Gallery, Tokyo: rockin’ on inc., 1997
Ackermann, Rita, 'Sketchbook V (Twitchy)', New York: American Art Catalogues, 2022
Ackermann, Rita, 'Sketchbook IV (Frequencies of Freedom (Double Take)', New York: American Art Catalogues, 2022
Ackermann, Rita, 'Sketchbook III (7581)', New York: American Art Catalogues, 2022
Ackermann, Rita, 'Sketchbook II (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)', New York: American Art Catalogues, 2021
Ackermann, Rita, 'Sketchbook I (For Mama)', New York: American Art Catalogues, 2021
^"About The Artist: Rita Ackermann". Whitney Biennial 2008 Exhibition. New York, New York: Whitney Museum of American Art. 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
