Annemirl Bauer

Annemirl Bauer was one of the most critical voices against the dogmatic art system of the GDR and the repressive measures of the state. She was born in Jena in 1939 into a family of artists and, after training as a ceramist and toy designer, studied at the Berlin-Weissensee Art Academy. Bauer painted colourfully, figuratively and realistically, and drew expressively and directly. She used letters, notepads, cupboard doors and textiles as her canvas. After the birth of her daughter Amrei in 1971, she lived in precarious circumstances as a single mother and was the victim of so-called ‘disruption measures’ by the Stasi. She protested against restrictions on travel and compulsory military service for women. Her resistance quickly brought her to the attention of the Stasi. In 1984, she demanded general freedom of travel for all GDR citizens, whereupon she was sanctioned with a professional ban and repression by the Stasi. Shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, she died to cancer at the age of 50.