M Leuven presents Sigefride Bruna Hautman's first retrospective
14.02 - 31.08.2025
OPENING 13.02.25 20:00 - CURATOR: VALERIE VERHACK
Sigefride Bruna Hautman’s (b. 1955, Bornem) first retrospective exhibition can be seen at M from 14 February to 31 August 2025. This major presentation reveals the full extent of the Antwerp-based artist’s rich and unique oeuvre, which she has been working on since the 1980s.
FIGURATIVE POEMS
Sigefride Bruna Hautman’s works are like visual poems. Since the 1980s, she has created sculptures, reliefs, installations, videos, drawings, collages and text works. Her figurative oeuvre oscillates between hyperrealism and stylization, between direct legibility and symbolism, between simplicity and complex stratification. Her versatility in techniques and materials is particularly noteworthy: from wood, leather, silk, plaster and clay to polyester. “The work itself, and what it signifies, leads me to the material and the technique,” says the artist.
FIRST RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION
“M is presenting the first retrospective of this extraordinary artist who has remained somewhat under the radar of curators, press and the public for almost two decades,” states Leuven’s alderman for culture, Bert Cornillie, “Hautman’s exhibition reflects M’s policy decision to offer a platform to artists who have hitherto remained underexposed.”
Hautman’s artistic quirkiness and personality have given her a cult status amidst colleagues and prominent figures in the cultural and fashion world.
Hautman is excited that her exhibition at M will be the first time that many visitors will encounter her work. Despite being a lifelong artist, she has had stretches when she primarily created in private and did not exhibit.
She worked closely with curator Valerie Verhack on the retrospective at M. “Hautman’s oeuvre – from the early years to today – demonstrates a profound and sensitive gaze. With her playful, still images, she celebrates life in all its complexity,” says Valerie Verhack.
A monograph will also be published in collaboration with Lenz Press.
ABOUT SIGEFRIDE BRUNA HAUTMAN
After her training at the Antwerp Academy, Hautman quickly made a name for herself in the art world. She participated in public actions with a group of like-minded artists, creating challenging text pieces and sculptures. During the 1980s, her artistic output became increasingly personal and intimate, almost like a visual journal. She created portraits of her family members, reflecting on her own life and place in the world. Hautman’s practice was well received and she exhibited her work to glowing reviews.
In the 2000s, Hautman took the pragmatic decision to devote herself full-time to teaching art. She rarely exhibited, but continued making artworks in private. This exhibition marks the first time Hautman has shared a comprehensive overview of her practice, including her latest pieces. They provide insight into Hautman’s distinctive visual language, a world of thoughts and memories in visual form. The works veer between hyperrealism and stylization, legibility and symbolism, simplicity and complexity, while never losing their poetic power.
Words, images and paintings flow together in her work, while her sculptures resemble visual fragments of the subconscious. She plays with the natural colours of materials but also creates vibrant paintings, all of which lends her oeuvre an expressive and evocative character.
Hautman’s work is as hermetic as it is communicative, both visual and literary. Her works often form interconnected series, linked by the same idea. Themes such as social outrage, existential questions and interpersonal relationships run like a common thread through her practice. Hautman finds inspiration in art, literature and music, citing influences as diverse as Giotto, Oskar Schlemmer, Samuel Beckett, David Bowie and James Brown. “I collect things from all over the place, which creates a strange provenance. If they mature for long enough, something will suddenly emerge,’ she says.
EXHIBITION HISTORY
In the early 1980s, Hautman took part in group shows in Ghent (Gele Zaal, 1983) and Antwerp (ICC, 1984). Her work is also represented in the collections of Mu.ZEE and M HKA. Additionally, Hautman has exhibited at The Association for the Museum of Contemporary Art (Ghent), Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens (Deurle), Campo Santo (Ghent), Melly (formerly Witte de With, Rotterdam), Casa Frollo (Venice), Villa Borghese (Rome) and Skironio Museum Polychronoopulos (Athens). Her most recent exhibition was at Extra City in Antwerp in 2005. Hautman is married to the artist Narcisse Tordoir.
PRESS CONTACTS
Nica Broucke, nica.broucke@mleuven.be
Ellen Verhelle, ellen.verhelle@mleuven.be
Sigefride Bruna Hautman is available for interviews during the exhibition build-up on Wednesday 5, Thursday 6, Friday 7.02 and on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13.02. Curator Valerie Verhack is also happy to answer questions about this unique collaboration.
The exhibition opens simultaneously with 'A History of Touch' by Grace Schwindt.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
EXHIBITION: SIGEFRIDE BRUNA HAUTMAN
14.02 - 31.08.25
Opening 13.02 at 20:00
Open every day except Wednesday: 11:00 - 18:00. Thursday 11:00 - 22:00
M LEUVEN
Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28
3000, Leuven
Geïnstitutionaliseerde Waardigheid_Sigefride Bruna Hautman_1982_foto Luc Wauman
Moonproject1Rumours_Sigefride Bruna Hautman_1981_foto Luc Wauman._Sigefride%20Bruna%20Hautman_1990_foto%20Dirk%20Gysels.jpg "Portret 5 (Yvon 2) Sigefride Bruna Hautman 1990 phto Dirk Gysels")
