For Brätsch, each of these stained-glass works is “like a fossil of a brushstroke, created with the help of a glass master who becomes an extension of my hand.” For decades, Brätsch has collaborated with other artists and artisans. For this installation, she partnered with Zurich-based glass master Urs Rickenbach to create “portraits” of four brushstrokes. The brushstroke, the fundamental element of painting, is here enlarged to a monumental scale. “In the hands of a painter, a brushstroke takes a few minutes, whereas in stained glass it takes several months,” Brätsch explained. “It isn’t just about the brushstroke being converted into another medium, the entire temporal aspect is transformed.”

Commissioned on the occasion of The Museum of Modern Art’s 2019 reopening, courtesy the artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York. Organized by Yasmil Raymond, former Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, with Tara Keny, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Drawings and Prints.

The artist wishes to thank Urs Rickenbach and Tim Buechel.