Marisa Merz (1926–2019) was one of the leading figures of the post-war Italian art scene, and closely associated with the Arte Povera group, the only woman to be so. The subtle power of her work is apparent in her relationship with silence and poetry, and in her search for the fragility of art corresponding to that of life.

In her studio, the sculptor and installation artist transformed space and time into a large collage. At the same time, she moved between numerous art-historical references and a great variety of everyday objects and materials – from aluminium to clay, from copper to nylon, from wax to fabric. Thirty years after her first comprehensive institutional exhibition in Switzerland, the Kunstmuseum Bern is showing iconic artworks alongside works that have not previously been shown and archive material.

Curator: Livia Wermuth

The exhibition is a cooperation with the LaM - Lille Métropole, musée d'art moderne, d'art contemporain et d'art brut, the Fridericianum and the Fondazione Merz.