Dora Maurer

Dóra Maurer (1937) graduated in 1961 at the Painting and Graphic Art department of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. Her early works were etchings that reflected the influence of Informel; later on, she created drawings and collages using a widening array of materials. A scholarship to Vienna in 1967 had a decisive influence on her; from this point she divided her time between the Austrian and the Hungarian capitals. From the early seventies, she created conceptual, serial works, examining subtle changes, movements, and the sequences, algorhythms of these; and the relationships and transformations of basic geometrical forms, and of colours. The scientific sincerity manifest in her work is always paired with playfulness and a poetic sensitivity. She is active in a number media: she produces paintings, graphic work, photography, film, and installations.
Besides her artistic praxis, her pedagogical and curatorial work is also important. One of the most important shows she organized has been “Ex/position” in 1976 that summarized the use of photography in conceptual art in Hungary of the time. Between 1975-77, she led the study circle Creativity Practices with Miklós Erdély. Between 1981-1983, she held photography and film workshops in the Museum of Fine Arts; between 1987-1991, she taught at the Academy of Applied Arts. Since 1990, she has been teaching at the University of Fine Arts, Budapest. She is a founding member of OSAS – Open Structures Art Society. In 2008, Ludwig Museum Budapest presented her retrospective exhibition. Her participation at the 12th Istanbul Biennale in 2011 drew a strong international attention to her oeuvre that has not diminished since.