Transparence | Transcendance

Ada Isensee, Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen

To mark the centenary of the Société Saint-Luc, the Vitromusée Romont is devoting the year 2024 to various forms of expression in religious art of the 20th century.  The exhibition Transparence | Transcendence highlights the transcendental and mystical aspect of religious stained glass through the work of the German-born artist couple Ada Isensee (*1944) and Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen (1920 – 2010). Trained as painters, they enchanted the public by creating stained glass windows that adorn churches and secular buildings around the world. Visitors are invited on a journey through the transformation of Christian iconography from the middle of the 20th century to the present day.

Moving from traditional biblical imagery to a more abstract visual language, the delicate and yet powerful work in the exhibition explores universal themes such as the dialogue between heaven and earth, the manifestation of the divine, the power of the feminine or the essence of spirituality. The content of the two artists’ work overlaps. Although their representations are different, almost contrasting, the meaning embodied in their images links them together. A perpetual play of light and shadow reveals the bright and dark sides of life. By the very nature of its material, glass is transparent. The message conveyed by the artists evokes transcendence.

In the press

• RadioFr: Exposition Transparence | Transcendance au Vitromusée Romont

7 April – 22 September 2024