Margot Bergman

Until recently, the American artist Margot Bergman (*1934, Chica- go) has had little recognition on this side of the Atlantic. Now, the Swiss Museum Langmatt, in collaboration with the Folkwang Mu- seum in Essen and Urbane Kû§nste Ruhr, is producing her fi rst solo show in Europe. Her mostly small portraits fl uctuate between sur- real metamorphoses and Outsider Art. Bergman takes paintingsª¢ mainly landscapesª¢she has found at fl ea markets and paints over them to reveal faces in them. The interplay of layers, which recalls sampling, creates cryptic portraits that sometimes evoke uncanny, melancholy, or even humorous impressions. The catalogue is the fi rst publication in a long while about this aston- ishing artist; it presents her work and poses fundamental ques- tions about contemporary portr ait painting.