Bastienne Schmidt
Bastienne Schmidt was born in Munich, Germany, and was raised in Greece and Italy. She studied anthropology at the University Ludwig-Maximilian Universitaet in Munich, Germany and graduated with a degree of Fine Arts from the University Accademia di Belli Arti, Perugia, Italy. She spent 10 years in New York, where she maintains a studio, before moving full time to Bridgehampton.
Schmidt’s work has been shown in over 100 exhibitions worldwide, including the New Museum, New York City; the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York; the Zimmerli Museum, New Brunswick, NJ; Museum fuer Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany; Musee de la Photographie, Charleroi, Belgium; Musee de Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ricco/Maresca Gallery and Throckmorton Gallery, New York City; Parrish Road Show, Sag Harbor, NY; Harpers Books and folioeast, East Hampton, NY; the Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX; Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY; Hamilton Gallery, London, England; Gallery Argus, Berlin, Germany.
Her work is also included in many collections: the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography in New York City; the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn NY; the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX; the Center for Creative Photography in Tuscon, AZ; Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, among others.
“Through photography, painting and drawing, I explore concepts of identity and place. Photography and art fall into the realm of archeology—searching for layers of history and meaning, and re-assigning value to them. I spent my childhood surrounded by my father’s archeological work, which instilled in me a desire to organize, map, and attempt to understand systems through artwork. My large scale drawings and paintings can be seen as mind maps made up of juxtaposed pieces of cultural influences.
I use an artistic process that often consists of layering thin transparent paper upon which I paint and draw. Paper offers an intuitive medium that allows for overlapping and for organic coming together of spaces.
Geometric forms, such as circles, triangles and squares, play a large role in my work and the use of a multifold of blues goes back to my childhood, growing up on the Greek island of Samos. For my paintings and drawings I have created a personal topography that draws inspiration from travels as far as Egypt and Burma and from observing details close to home: a coffee stain, for instance, can be seen as a stain, a map or a topography.” — BS
Untitled, Colored Grids, 2019, sewn and painted canvas, 36 x 48 in
Untitled, Colored Grids, 2019, sewn and painted canvas, 36 x 48 in
Untitled, Colored Grids, 2019, sewn canvas, 48 x 72 in
Untitled, Diptych, Colored Grids, 2019, sewn fabric, 48 x 72 in
Untitled, Colored Grids, 2019, sewn and painted canvas, 48 x 72 in
Untitled, Blue Grids, 2018, sewn and painted canvas, 24 x 24 in
Untitled, Colored Grids, 2018, sewn and painted canvas, 30 x 40 in
Untitled, Colored Grids, 2018, sewn and painted canvas, 30 x 40 in