Lecture „Prinzhorn's Masterpiece“

Lecture by curator Ingrid von Beyme about the extraordinary artist Else Blankenhorn

Else Blankenhorn (1873–1920) is the only woman whom Hans Prinzhorn originally intended to dedicate a separate chapter to in his book „Bildnerei der Geisteskranken“ (Artistry of the Mentally Ill) (1922). However, this did not happen, nor was a planned monograph written. In an essay, Prinzhorn did mention the peculiarity of her work: the production of banknotes to finance the resurrection of lovers – on the orders of her imagined husband, Kaiser Wilhelm. As a patient at the renowned private sanatorium Bellevue in Kreuzlingen on Lake Constance, Else Blankenhorn created an expressive, symbolic visual world. Many motifs remain enigmatic and difficult to decipher in the reflection of her inner world. Flowers and plants represent a „love-filled blossoming“ between man and woman.