To visit by appointment, please contact Cornelia at c@corneliathomsen.com

Each of Thomsen’s series on display, from the abstract Stripes and Structures compositions, to the recent Anna portraits, meditate on a distinct moment in a complex professional, psychological, and political journey.

Composed of vertical lines that vary in color and width, the Stripes paintings are executed freehand on canvases that seem hard-edged at a distance, yet upon closer viewing reveal subtle tonal gradations. Their warmth evokes nostalgic memories of outdoor scenes, reflecting a sensitivity toward nature inspired by the blue mountains of Thomsen’s childhood and the ocean waters of her adult life -- but her upbringing behind the closed borders of a totalitarian police state also finds expression here. Thomsen applies lines to her Stripes canvases horizontally, in keeping with their remote origins in landscape, but once completed they’re displayed vertically, eliminating any hint of literal representation. The finished works can thus seem to confront the viewer with symbolic walls or prison bars, expressing a tension between calm and repression that, despite superficial similarities, challenges the cool optimism of earlier American linear abstraction.

Thomsen’s most recent subject is Anna, a young woman painted in lustrous oils on copper and canvas. Vivid highlights and bravura strokes recall the classical society portraiture. But Anna’s gaze—typically directed haughtily at the viewer—identifies her as a person of the present day, self-assertive and defying our judgment. Painted by an artist who grew up acutely aware of the consequences of her actions and words, the intense, hypnotic Anna portraits epitomize our present-day ethos of optimistic independence tempered by watchful resilience.

The exhibition is presented by the German Consulate General and organized in collaboration with the Deutsches Haus at NYU.

Venue Accessibility:

Unfortunately, 1014 Fifth Avenue is in the process of being refurbished, and is not fully accessible in its current state. We apologize to our guests and kindly ask you to contact j.stubbs@1014.nyc if you need further information or assistance. We will do our best to enable everyone to join us.