Geschlechterkampf

The exhibition Battle of the Sexes – Franz von Stuck to Frida Kahlo (Geschlechterkampf – Franz von Stuck bis Frida Kahlo) was held from 24 November 2016 to 19 March 2017 at the Städel-Museum in Frankfurt am Main. 140 paintings, films and sculptures reflected the change in gender roles and the perception of these roles.

Elle
ArtistGustav-Adolf Mossa
Year1905
MediumOil and gilt on canvas
Dimensions80 cm × 63 cm (31 in × 25 in)
LocationMusée des Beaux-Arts, Nice
Websitegeschlechterkampf.staedelmuseum.de/en/zoom/c1_mossa-gustav-adolf-elle.jpg
Salome by Jean Benner, one of the two paintings used as a logo

As logo of the exhibition two paintings have been used: Salome by Jean Benner and Elle (She) by Gustav-Adolf Mossa, the depiction of a femme fatale with the blood of her male victims smeared on her thighs, sitting on a mountain of their corpses. Her genitalia are hidden by a cat. An inscription reads: hoc volo, sic iubeo; sit pro ratione voluntas.

Tuning in

The walls of the reception area are inscribed with relevant hashtags and quotes from newspaper articles. These tags and quotes are not commented and not mentioned again in the exhibition or the catalogue.

Hashtags
The Städel during the exhibition
  • #Aufschrei (outcry)
  • #Ausnahmslos (without exception)
  • #BattleOfTheSexes
  • #DieQuoteGilt (the quota is imperative)
  • #GenderMainstreaming
  • #GenderPayGap
  • #Genderpricing
  • #Geschlechterkampf
  • #Gleichberechtigung (equality)
  • #HeForShe
  • #IchKaufDasNicht (I will not buy that)
  • #ImZugPassiert (happened in a train)
  • #IStandUp
  • #KampfDerGeschlechter
  • #ManSplaining
  • #Manterrupting
  • #NeinHeißtNein (no means no)
  • #NoBra
  • #NotOkay
  • #PinkStinks
  • #PinkTax
  • #RapeCulture
  • #RegrettingMotherhood
  • #Sexismus
  • #SheDidItWithBrains
  • #WomenNotObjects
  • #VictimBlaming

Clippings

The quotes are taken from these articles:

  • English-language media
    • 11 May 2016, Newsweek: Google's new female emojis aim to promote equality
    • 24 May 2016, The Guardian: How to get ahead in Silicon Valley: hide being a woman says male "expert"
    • 6 June 2016: Is fat shaming male celebrities a sign of gender equality?
    • 11 October 2016, Irish Independent: Clinton versus Trump is a battle of two Americas - and of two sexes
    • 2 November 2016, Artnet News: Facebook censors Caravaggio's nude Cupid, then changes mind
  • Augsburger Allgemeine
    • 17 May 2016: High Heels Pflicht: Petition gegen hohe Absätze
  • Bild
    • 22 September 2016: Männer sind anders - Frauen auch "Wir gleichberechtigen uns zu Tode"
  • Cicero
    • 10 December 2013: Der moderne Mann: Weichei in Frauenhand
  • Deutschlandradio Kultur
    • 20 March 2015: Gleichheit im Pop-Geschäft. Feministinnen, die mit dem Po wackeln
    • 16 September 2015: Frauenrollen. Feminismus bleibt notwendig
    • 13 September 2016: Gender-Bashing ist der neue Volkssport
  • Focus
    • 1 October 2013: Ewiger Geschlechterkampf Warum sich Männer mit dem Putzeimer so schwer tun
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
    • 6 February 2015: Wortschöpfung "Mansplaining": Komm, Kleines, ich erklär' dir die Welt
    • 1 March 2016: Maskulinität in der Krise: Wo sind die echten Männer?
    • 10 March 2016: Mütter im Unglück: Stillst Du noch? Bereust Du schon?
    • 2 October 2016: Sexismus und die CDU. Süße Mäuse sind gefährlich
    • 3 October 2016: Papst verurteilt Gendertheorie: "Krieg zur Zerstörung der Ehe"
  • Hannoversche Allgemeine
    • 10 November 2014: Zeichen der Gleichberechtigung: Das Ampelmädchen kommt
  • Spiegel Online
    • 23 April 2012: Der Mann, das Tier
    • 3 December 2013: Hirnforschung: Männer und Frauen sind unterschiedlich verdrahtet
    • 14 August 2014: Sexismus-Posse im Schwarzwald: Park & Weib
    • 12 November 2015: #IchKaufDasNicht: Halbnackte Frauen auf Milchshakes
    • 29 April 2016: Sexismus in Schulbüchern: Normal ist, wenn Papa arbeitet und Mama kocht
    • 20 September 2016: Neue Männerzeitschriften: Null Vulven gefunden
    • 26 October 2016: Bis zur Gleichberechtigung noch 100 Jahre
    • 5 November 2016: Frauen, macht Schluss mit dem Frauenhass!
  • Stern
    • 30 October 2015: Weiblich! Ledig! Na und! Männer! Warum habt ihr Angst vor starken Frauen?
    • 20 May 2016: Neue Studie zum Gender Gap
    • 1 July 2016: Bewerbungsfoto mit tiefem Ausschnitt erhöht Chancen auf Vorstellungsgespräch
    • 15 August 2016: Ohne BH ist Trend: Freiheit für die Brüste!
  • Süddeutsche Zeitung
    • 27 June 2006: Maskulisten: Pöbeln für die Männlichkeit
    • 4 June 2013: Uni Leipzig: Aus Herr Professor wird Herr Professorin
    • 30 September 2016: Rape Culture "Wir entmündigen vergewaltigte Frauen
    • 27 February: Hat der Feminismus die Liebe kaputtgemacht?
  • Tagesspiegel
    • 11 May 2016: Staatliches Verbot von sexistischer Werbung: Sexismus ist keine Geschmacksfrage
  • Die Tageszeitung
    • 26 March 2014: Sexstreik in der Ukraine: Bei Zeus, warum nie Männer?
    • 14 October 2016: Yes we can change
  • Die Welt
    • 30 September 2013: Den Männern reicht es mit der Gleichberechtigung
    • 12 December 2015: Ich wollt, ich wär ein Mann
    • 26 January 2016: Frauen in Führungspositionen so hart wie Männer. Was die Macht mit Frauen macht
    • Für Frauen reicht es nicht mehr, nur schön zu sein
  • Wochenblatt - Die Zeitung für alle online
    • 9 April 2016: SPD-Minister erwägt Verbot: Wie sexy darf Werbung sein?
  • Die Zeit
    • 2 October 2014: Vereinbarkeit: Wieso Familie und Beruf nicht zu vereinbaren sind
    • 28 May 2015: Kreativität: Wen die Muse küsst
    • 18 January 2016: Sind wir über Nacht zu einer feministischen Nation geworden?
    • 26 May 2016: James Bond: Jane, nicht James
    • 9 June 2016: Gleichheit der Geschlechter: Die große Illusion
    • 9 October 2016: #notokay: Aufschrei gegen Trump
    • Zeit Online
      • 14 June 2016: Gleichberechtigung: Der Einkommensunterschied ist noch viel größer
  • Neue Zürcher Zeitung
    • 3 November 2016: Wenn das Begehren vor dem Richter steht
  • Ghostbusters Neuverfilmung: Neuer "Ghostbusters"-Film mit Frauen in den Hauptrollen löst Shitstorm aus
  • Den Männern reicht es mit der Gleichberechtigung
  • Maus & Kaninchen

#LetsTalkAboutSexes

Parallel to the exhibition the social media campaign #LetsTalkAboutSexes took place. A selection of the created articles are collected in the Städel blog as "Kunst der Moderne #LetsTalkAboutSexes – die Beiträge zur Social-Media-Aktion" (see external links).

Exhibited works

On display were drawings, photographs, films, sculptures and paintings.

Films
  • King Kong
  • Die Versuchung des St. Antoine

Films shown in the exhibition were mostly from the Pre-Code-era.

Sculptures

There were other versions or castings of these sculptures present:

  • Phytia, Marcello
  • Tennisspielerin (tennis player), Constantin Starck
  • Gorille enlevant une femme, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra
  • Amazone, Franz von Stuck
  • Persée et la gorgone, Laurent-Honoré Marqueste

Marcello's sculpture Pythia is a representation of the priest of the oracle of Delphi, who made her prophecies under the influence of hallucinogenic gas. They were then interpreted by male priests. Well known is the prediction to the people of Athens to use wooden walls as a means to defeat the Persians. This was taken as advice to build triremes. The Persian fleet was defeated in the Battle of Salamis. On display is one of many castings of this main work of Marcello. The male pseudonym was used by the countess Adélaïde Nathalie Marie Hedwige Philippine d’Affry, who could not benefit from an education at the PAFA where Eakins allowed women to study the nude. Therefore, she used castings of her own body in creating the sculpture.

The tennis player was able to engage in this sport as rules on female clothing had by the time been relaxed.

Paintings

Suzanne Valadon modeled herself as Eve. Adam is a portrait of her muse, her twenty years younger lover. Both grab together for the forbidden fruit. Lilith was Adam's first wife and had to be replaced by Eve, when she showed her open hair in public and also fell otherwise out of the female role model.

Clytemnestra is holding the sword she used to kill her husband, after he was willing to sacrifice their daughter Iphigenia to Artemis.

Franz von Stuck, Edvard Munch, Otto Dix and Frida Kahlo are all represented by a number of paintings.

Meret Oppenheim's My Nurse is part of the exhibition.

Stereo Night
The Städel during the Stereo Night

The Stereo Night was an Städelnächte event. A music program, parts of the permanent Städel exhibition and the complete Geschlechterkampf could be visited. During the night there were Art Battles: The speakers of the audio guides Constanze Becker and Felix Rech played a married couple from the last century, that discussed the change of gender roles. They mentioned Dr. Haustein (whose portrait with curettage by Christian Schad is part of the exhibition), who helped them to have only seven children and not fourteen. Also a new treatment for hysteria - the Jolly Molly - was talked about.

Perception

Art used the exhibition as a cover story with the headlines "Leider geil!", "Lustmord-Bilder sind der Höhepunkt des Frauenhasses" and "Der groteske US-Wahlkampf war der totale Geschlechterkampf".[1] Kunstzeitung speaks of a parade full of facets, spanning a hundred years.[2] Handelsblatt sees a contrast between first rate works and sultry perfumed paintings from the second tier.[3] Schwäbische Zeitung describes the fighting scenes as a traditional costume parade at a town festival.[4] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comments on the timing of the exhibition at the inauguration of Donald Trump.[5]

Literature
  • Battle of the sexes: Franz von Stuck to Frida Kahlo, Felix Krämer, Cynthia Hall, Städel Museum, Prestel-Verlag, München, London, New York, 2016
  • Geschlechterkampf: Franz von Stuck bis Frida Kahlo, Felix Krämer, Städel, Prestel, München, Frankfurt, 2016
  • Geschlechterkampf, Brochure of the Städel-Museum, available at the Museumshop
gollark: You are on Discord. You probably have a computer.
gollark: You have 6 seconds.
gollark: The only cure for boredom is Minoteaur development.
gollark: It is not.
gollark: It's like that in that it:- can be represented as a sum of sine waves- contains instruments and vocals- is typically played on speakers- was constructed by humans

References
  1. Art, December 2016, title story, pages 14-16
  2. Kunstzeitung, February 2017, Eva in Munchs Wald, Frankfurt am Main: "Geschlechterkampf" im Städel, Dorothee Baer-Bogenschütz
  3. Handelsblatt, 27 January 2017, Tödliche Rivalen, Regine Müller
  4. Schwäbische Zeitung, 3 December 2016, Süßer die Schlangen nie züngeln, Ausstellung in Frankfurt: Das Städel lädt zum Geschlechterkampf, Reinhold Mann
  5. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 30 January 2017, Dem plötzlich ganz anderen ausgeliefert, zet.

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