Susan Rothenberg Estate Represented by Hauser & Wirth

Susan Rothenberg: A Radical Voice Returns to the Global Stage

The announcement that Hauser & Wirth now represents the estate of the late Susan Rothenberg (1945 – 2020) marks a noteworthy moment for contemporary art. As one of the most independent and emotionally charged voices in postwar American painting, Susan Rothenberg carved out an unmistakable presence in the art world, first by reasserting figuration in an era dominated by conceptual and minimalist cool, and later by deepening the painter’s role as both chronicler and philosopher of the interior world.

Rothenberg’s rise began in the mid-1970s with her arresting, large-scale paintings of horses—glyph-like silhouettes bisected by bold compositional lines, at once primitive and formally sophisticated. Critics of the time, like Peter Schjeldahl, credited Susan Rothenberg with resuscitating painting itself.

^{(left) “Upside Down and Sideways” 1979-1980 Acrylic on canvas 102 x 78 1/4 inches
(right) “Bluebird Wings” 1989 Oil on canvas 65 x 43 inches}

Over five decades, Rothenberg’s work evolved from these stark equine figures into ever more personal and intuitive realms. Her compositions pulsed with physicality—fragmented limbs, distorted heads, animals caught in motion—all rendered with tactile brushwork and vivid, sometimes otherworldly color palettes. Whether in oil or acrylic, on vast canvases or intimate surfaces, her paintings carried a deep sense of bodily presence and psychological tension.

By the time Rothenberg and her husband, the conceptual artist Bruce Nauman, relocated to a ranch in Galisteo, New Mexico, in 1990, her work took on the textures of desert life: expansive sightlines, animal rhythms, and solitary reflection. In her later years, Rothenberg turned increasingly introspective, depicting marionette limbs, prosthetics, and symbolic fragments. These works were meditations on aging, memory, and transformation. In Hauser & Wirth’s care, the full arc of Susan Rothenberg’s career is now poised for deeper examination, scholarly reappraisal, and broader global appreciation.

Susan Rothenberg: Hauser & Wirth’s Pivotal Commitment

With this new representation, Hauser & Wirth continues its role as one of the most influential global galleries fostering legacies of groundbreaking artists. Representing Susan Rothenberg’s estate is not only a curatorial affirmation—it is a cultural recalibration of her legacy. Co-presidents Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth, and Marc Payot have stated their intention to reintroduce Rothenberg’s full scope to international audiences, solidifying her stature among the most essential painters of the 20th century.

Marc Payot underscores Rothenberg’s pivotal contributions by acknowledging how she claimed space for herself, both literally and metaphorically, when few women were afforded the same. “Rothenberg’s mastery, and her ability to navigate the tensions between the literal and the transcendental, make her one of the undeniable greats of her generation,” he stated. Indeed, Susan Rothenberg’s practice never succumbed to the pressures of trend or canon; she remained rigorously authentic, guided by intuition, tactile experimentation, and a refusal to sanitize emotion.

The gallery’s stewardship also means increased institutional collaboration. Rothenberg’s work has long been underrepresented in retrospectives despite being held in major collections including MoMA, LACMA, the Whitney, and the Stedelijk. With Hauser & Wirth at the helm, it’s likely we will see major museum exhibitions, new scholarship, and a generation of artists and thinkers engaging with her output anew.

For Rothenberg, the body was a form as much as it was a field of consciousness, and her canvases held the raw edge of that insight. She challenged not only the rules of figuration but the emotional expectations of painting itself. In Hauser & Wirth’s hands, Susan Rothenberg’s legacy stands to reclaim the spotlight it always deserved: a radical artist whose work still feels visceral, unflinching, and timeless.