Karen Kilimnik and the exhibition arc since Zurich 2026
Published on 08/25/2026 at 12:47 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Karen Kilimnik keeps moving between painting, collage, installation, photography, and stage-like interiors. Her most recent solo exhibition at Galerie Eva Presenhuber in Zurich ran from June 12 to July 24, 2026, according to the gallery's press release and accompanying essay by Dr. Raphael Gygax.
Zurich and the latest solo show
Galerie Eva Presenhuber presented Karen Kilimnik at its Waldmannstrasse space, marking the artist's ninth solo exhibition with the gallery. The press release describes new paintings and the sculptural work Bouquet Mt Olympus (2026), framed by Kilimnik's long-standing use of historical imagery, decor, and fantasy.
The same release places the work inside a sequence that runs from the late 1970s to the present. It also notes the exhibition walkthrough on June 13, 2026 at 6 pm in Zurich.
What the recent show confirms
Kilimnik's recent Zurich presentation underlines how firmly she still works through collage logic and theatrical staging. Her imagery draws on court painting, romantic landscape, fashion, television, and film, while refusing a single stable reading.
That refusal is part of the appeal. The works turn historical quotation into atmosphere, then into something unstable and slightly eerie, which is exactly where her art has stayed legible for decades.
More news and background on Karen Kilimnik
Track exhibition history, institutional context, and market coverage around Karen Kilimnik in one place.
How the work is built
Kilimnik's practice is anchored in figurative painting, collage, mise-en-scène sculpture, photography, and video. Sprüth Magers describes her as an artist who mixes Romantic painting with mass culture, ballet, celebrity, and pop music.
That combination gives the work its tension. The references are exact, but the effect stays deliberately staged, as if each image were set on a theater floor and lit from behind.
Where the artist stands now
Karen Kilimnik currently has no announced date in the 30-day window.
Key facts on Karen Kilimnik
- Artist: Karen Kilimnik
- Medium / Genre: Painting, collage, installation, photography, video
- Born: 1955, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Place(s) of practice: International practice, with work presented from Zurich, Los Angeles, Berlin, and New York
- Active since: Late 1970s
- Key work groups: mise-en-scène, The Forest in La Bayadère, Paris Is Burning, Beach Paintings
- Current/last exhibition: Karen Kilimnik, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich, June 12 to July 24, 2026
- Major collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Awards:
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Karen Kilimnik
Where was Karen Kilimnik's most recent solo show presented?
At Galerie Eva Presenhuber in Zurich. The exhibition Karen Kilimnik ran from June 12 to July 24, 2026.
What did Karen Kilimnik show in Zurich?
The gallery highlighted new paintings and the sculptural work Bouquet Mt Olympus (2026), alongside a broader reading of her image archive.
Which collections hold work by Karen Kilimnik?
Major collections named in the gallery material include MoMA, the Met, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim in New York.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
