When looking at an artist who draws countless motifs from her magnificent garden, one might at first glance think of her as a contemporary successor to the great Monet. Yet Margo Levittoux is not concerned with mere Impressionism; rather, her artistic approach is rooted in the social here and now. The plants in her paintings—however much they seem to originate from a hidden paradise—reflect the existential situation of our time.

 

They are a multitude of plant life that assert their existence in interaction and conflict. Their colors are sometimes transformed or distorted to the point of garishness in their interaction with light, shadow, and atmosphere; yet, at the same time, they always assert the beauty of their existence—even though at times the earth itself seems to be burning, and apocalyptic conditions are threatening nature.

Despite her sensitivity to nature and its plants, Margo Levittoux never loses sight of the social reality of our time. This occurs in a completely different, technically also superbly executed group of works: These are the living situations of refugees and those seeking refuge—the still unresolved problem of migration—brought to attention in stark black and white, large-format linocuts. But even the people next door, the mechanic in the auto repair shop, for example—are given a "visual monument," so to speak. From such images, it is not far to the equally spontaneous and sensitive portraits that also characterize Margo Levittoux' work.

With an extraordinarily broad thematic and technical spectrum, Margo Levittoux, like few other artists, is able to capture the reality of our time in all its contradictions in a remarkable and remarkable way and raise awareness.

Dr. Norbert Michels

Anhaltische Gemäldegalerie Dessau

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