The American artist Tauba Auerbach, who among artnet News’ 10 most expensive living female artists of 2015, has been selected to design the Vienna State Opera’s curtain for the 2016/2017 season. The San Franciso-born painter, photographer, sculptor, and performance artist will unveil her design in the autumn, the Austrian daily Der Standard reports.

The commission—currently in its 19th edition—presents a unique challenge for artists due to the massive scale of the 176 square meter (577.4 sq. ft.) surface. It is also a rare opportunity for the worlds of opera and fine art to meet.

Since 1998, the historic opera house has commissioned artists to design its curtain. The design for the current production season was created by the French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster whose work Helen & Gordon (2015) graces the stage.

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster designed the curtain currently on view at the Vienna State Opera, featuring the late Helen Frankenthaler
Photo: www.mip.at

Gonzalez-Foerster’s feminist artwork depicts the artist Helen Frankenthaler in her studio, and highlights the contradiction of being a woman and an artist. The selection of Auerbach shows a trend towards showcasing women artists at the Viennese opera.

The 35-year-old Auerbach has shown her work in over 100 exhibitions over the last decade, including shows at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Biennial; and solo exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; and the Wiels Contemporary Arts Center in Brussels.

Auerbach’s work has been described as an interface between conceptual art, abstraction and graphic art. She is primarily known for her works arranged around the themes of techniques and Op-Art.