Henrike Naumann, the artist recently selected as a co-designer of the German Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, has died. The artist, born in Zwickau, East Germany, in 1984, passed away in Berlin “after a cancer diagnosis that came far too late,” her family announced.
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The Institute for Foreign Relations, responsible for the German Pavilion, also confirmed Naumann’s death, stating it leaves a “painful void.” “With Henrike Naumann, we lose not only a significant representative of German contemporary art, but also a warm-hearted, alert, and highly committed personality.”
Art with Furniture and Design
Naumann and Vietnamese-German artist Sung Tieu were chosen last year to design the German Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, a major presentation of contemporary art alongside the documenta in Kassel. According to reports, it was significant to Naumann to conceptually complete the work and ensure it was realized according to her artistic vision.
Naumann frequently used furniture and design in her artistic work to explore themes of society and politics, earning her numerous awards and recognition through exhibitions worldwide. Her work has been featured in Vienna, Graz, and Linz, and in 2019, she created a fictional room installation, “Das Reich,” at Belvedere 21, presented as a furniture store inspired by the Wehrmacht style.
(Source: APA/dpa)
