“Deep Diving: Highlights of the Collection” presents selected artworks, techniques, and themes as part of an in-depth examination of art, explaining them with biographical, art-historical, and socio-philosophical information.
Theme: “The Dark Bohemian: Eva Aeppli in Paris”
The Swiss artist Eva Aeppli (1925–2015) was a charismatic figure who radically intertwined art and life. Physically attractive and intellectually astute and original, she represents one of the most distinctive artistic voices of the 20th century. Her works, which appear melancholic and imbued with existential weight, were not created in seclusion, but rather amidst the vibrant life of the Parisian bohemian scene in the Montparnasse artists’ quarter, surrounded by artists, intellectuals, and outsiders, amidst studios, cafés, and late-night conversations. In Paris, she lived for a time in an unusual arrangement: a ménage à trois with her husband, Jean Tinguely, and the artist Niki de Saint Phalle. This close, creative, and emotional connection shaped her environment as well as her entire oeuvre and exemplifies the intensity and transgression of boundaries characteristic of that artistic avant-garde.
Her whimsical, often melancholic-looking fabric figures—with elongated limbs, mournful faces, and a silent, almost ghostly presence—are strikingly reminiscent of Tim Burton’s world of characters. The expressive theatricality and poetic darkness of her work suggest that Aeppli’s visual language may have been a source of inspiration for the American director’s later iconic characters. A prime example is the sewn figure “Dame oder Bella” (Lady or Bella), 1967, from the Ludwig Museum collection, which we will examine and discuss together with research associate Suzana Leu-Puggioni, M.A.
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026, 4-5 p.m.
Cost: €3 plus admission fee
Please register in advance by 12 noon on March 4, 2026, by emailing kasse.ludwig-museum@stadt.koblenz.de or calling 0261 129 2406.