I visited the Guggenheim for “Contours of a World,” the new exhibition dedicated to the late German artist Gabriele Münter, believing I had a deep appreciation and solid knowledge of her work. I was quickly proven wrong.

The first gallery I entered was filled with black-and-white photographs; until then, I had only known Münter as a painter. “She picked up a camera before she even picked up a brush,” explained Guggenheim curator Megan Fontanella. This survey marks the first time her photographs have been shown in the United States.

“Contours of a World” also highlights another overlooked aspect of Münter’s career. While she is closely linked to German Expressionism—though her work was long overshadowed by her relationship with Wassily Kandinsky—she spent significant time in America during her early adulthood. Between 1898 and 1900, she traveled with her sister through Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas, using birthday money to buy a No. 2 Bulls-Eye Kodak camera to document what her 23-year-old eyes witnessed.

From the start, Münter was a keen and curious observer who understood how to play with composition. One photograph shows a young girl in a stiff pinafore, her hair in ringlets and her head tilted away from the sun. (One of the long shadows around her clearly belongs to Münter, subtly placing the artist in the frame, reminiscent of Vivian Maier.) In another titled “Three Women,” Münter captures three elegantly dressed Black women flanked by white children staring as they walk through Marshall, Texas, during the Emancipation Day Festival on June 19, 1900—a day now known as Juneteenth. Münter wrote to her brother in Germany that she “was snapping as if her body and soul depended on it,” clearly aware she was witnessing something profoundly important.

Fontanella sees Münter’s early experiments with photography as a prelude to her later paintings after returning to Europe. Her exploration of framing, perception, depth of field, and the interplay of light and shadow in her photos would later come to life on her canvases. This is evident in works like Breakfast of the Birds (1934), which is unusual for depicting its subject turned away from the viewer. “Münter is thinking through layering what’s a close view, what’s a distance view, and what’s in the middle ground, and how it affects spatial relationships and perspective,” Fontanella notes, “all tied to her looking through the lens.”

Throughout her work, Münter intently observes life’s moments and, as the exhibition’s title suggests, reveals certain facets and contours, whether her subject was a friend like painter Gertrude Holz, a random living room in Murnau, or scaffolding on a Parisian street. “I extract the most expressive aspects of reality and depict them simply, to the point, with no frills… the forms gather in outlines, the colors become fields, and contours—images—of the world emerge,” Münter once said, words that serve as a kind of epigraph for the exhibit.

Her commitment to depicting life is what made her radical in her time, when many artists were exploring fractured picture planes and abstraction.”Fontanella notes that Münter was moving away from realistic depictions of landscapes and planes toward a more abstract language, which she saw as synonymous with modernity. ‘She was truly pioneering in how she observed the world around her,’ she adds.

Gabriele Münter’s 1917 oil painting, Portrait of Anna Roslund, measures 37 3/16 by 26 15/16 inches (94.5 by 68.5 cm) and is part of the Leicester Museums and Galleries collection, with rights managed by Artists Rights Society in New York and VG Bild-Kunst in Bonn.

Why has it taken so long for the art world to recognize Münter? The Guggenheim’s current exhibition aims to address this gap. Their permanent collection includes just one of her works from the 1930s, while featuring many by her male contemporaries like Kandinsky and Franz Marc. Fontanella explains, ‘This show is our way of acknowledging that we wish her art had a stronger presence in our collection.’

Another piece, Still Life on the Tram (After Shopping), created around 1909–12, is a painting on board measuring 19 3/4 by 13 1/2 inches (50.2 by 34.3 cm), also under the same copyright.

Fontanella hopes that exhibitions like this, which showcase the diversity of modernism, will pave the way for other overlooked artists to be recognized. For Münter, however, the moment has arrived. In an era of rapidly accelerating information and imagery, her art encourages slow, thoughtful observation, offering a refreshing contrast. As Fontanella says, ‘Münter always rewards those who take the time to engage with her paintings.’

‘Gabriele Münter: Contours of a World’ is on display at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York until April 26, 2026.”

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the Guggenheim exhibition for Gabriele Mnter designed to be helpful for visitors with varying levels of familiarity

General Beginner Questions

Q Who is Gabriele Mnter
A She was a pioneering German artist best known for her key role in the Expressionist group called The Blue Rider and for her bold colorful paintings

Q What is the main focus of this Guggenheim exhibition
A The exhibition aims to give Mnter her longoverdue recognition as a major modern artist showcasing the full range and power of her work beyond just her association with Wassily Kandinsky

Q Why is this exhibition such a big deal
A Its a major retrospective at a worldrenowned museum finally placing her on the same prestigious platform as her more famous male colleagues which many feel is long overdue

Q Where and when is the exhibition taking place
A Its at the Guggenheim Museum in New York Youll need to check their official website for the exact dates as exhibitions are temporary

Deeper Dive Artistic Questions

Q What artistic style is Gabriele Mnter known for
A She is a central figure in German Expressionism Her style is characterized by strong nonnaturalistic colors simplified forms and a powerful emotional directness

Q Besides painting what other media did she work in
A Mnter was also a prolific printmaker and photographer and she created reverse glass paintings a traditional folk art technique she elevated to a fine art form

Q How was her work overshadowed during her lifetime
A For decades she was often discussed primarily as the partner and muse of Wassily Kandinsky Her own artistic innovations and independent career were not given the same serious critical attention

Q What are some of her most famous works I should look for
A Look for paintings like Boating The Jawlensky and Werefkin House and her portraits and landscapes that use vivid flat areas of color to capture a scenes essence

Practical Visitor Questions

Q Im not an art expert Will I still enjoy this exhibition
A Absolutely Her work is visually striking and emotionally accessible The exhibition is designed to tell the compelling story of an overlooked artist