There are female artists whose work is instantly recognisable – not because it bears a trademark, but because it embodies a certain attitude. <a href=”https://sylviaagnesmeister.ch” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><strong><span style=”color: #000080;”>Sylvia Agnes Meister</span></strong></a> paints abstractly, but not in a detached manner. Her canvases convey a tension between what was intended to be said and what ultimately remains, a tension that is difficult to put into words. On 19 and 20 May 2026, she will be exhibiting her work for the first time as part of an IRMASWORLD pop-up at Sotheby’s on Odeonsplatz. This venue knows first-hand what it means to attribute value to an object.
We had a chat with her beforehand.
<img class=”size-full wp-image-96505″ src=”https://www.irmasworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bild-1-1-scaled.jpg” alt=”” width=”1707″ height=”2560″ /> Sylvia Agnes Meister
<strong>IRMA: Your works are being shown in a space that normally gives things a biography – auction lots, collector’s items. What happens to a picture when it hangs in such a context?</strong>
<strong>SYLVIA AGNES MEISTER:</strong> A painting works because it enters into a dialogue with the people and things around it. In this joint pop-up, a new, additional and exciting interaction emerges, which I am very much looking forward to.
<strong>IRMA: Abstraction is often equated with freedom. But many abstract painters describe the process more as a distillation, as the omission of the superfluous. How would you describe your process?</strong>
<strong>SYLVIA AGNES MEISTER:</strong> For me, colours have their own language. When painting, I don’t try to explain something, but rather to make a feeling visible through colours.
<img class=”wp-image-96513 size-full” src=”https://www.irmasworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bild-2-scaled.jpeg” alt=”” width=”1920″ height=”2560″ /> cubo paper. Oil and pigment painting on paper. © Sylvia Agnes Meister
<strong>IRMA: How do you decide when a work is finished?</strong>
<strong>SYLVIA AGNES MEISTER:</strong> A work is always part of my life. For me, it’s finished when the colours shine and it feels right.
<strong>IRMA: You’ve travelled the world extensively yet have always remained rooted in Zurich. What does the city give you – and what might it take away?</strong>
<strong>SYLVIA AGNES MEISTER:</strong> Zurich is small yet international. I really like this blend of tranquillity, quality and openness to the world.
<img class=”size-full wp-image-96507″ src=”https://www.irmasworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bild-3-1-scaled.jpg” alt=”” width=”1706″ height=”2560″ /> Jasmin Khezri from IRMASWORLD and Sylvia Agnes Meister
<strong>IRMA: Is there a material, a surface or a light that has surprised you recently?</strong>
<strong>SYLVIA AGNES MEISTER:</strong> I’m fascinated by working with metal, particularly aluminium at the moment. I’d like to use this material to develop designer furniture in my own style.
<strong>IRMA: The evening of 19 May marks the start: conversations, drinks, encounters. How do you personally cope when your pictures suddenly have company?</strong>
<strong>SYLVIA AGNES MEISTER:</strong> I’m delighted when people engage with my pictures and this leads to interesting encounters and conversations. My pictures are hand-painted and carry something personal within them. In my experience, this is still highly valued, especially in a world where so much is now digital or generated by AI.
<img class=”size-full wp-image-96514″ src=”https://www.irmasworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bild-4-scaled.jpeg” alt=”” width=”1920″ height=”2560″ /> cubo paper. Oil and pigment paintings on paper. © Sylvia Agnes Meister
<strong>IRMA: If you could give your younger self – the one who was yet to create her first serious work – a single piece of advice, what would it be?</strong>
<strong>SYLVIA AGNES MEISTER:</strong> “Always be yourself, show your feelings and follow your own path.” In my view, that is precisely what gives rise to true art.
<img class=”size-full wp-image-96508″ src=”https://www.irmasworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bild-5-scaled.jpg” alt=”” width=”1920″ height=”2560″ /> Sylvia Agnes Meister
<a href=”https://sylviaagnesmeister.ch” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><strong><span style=”color: #000080;”>Sylvia Agnes Meister</span></strong></a> will be exhibiting selected works on 19 & 20 May 2026 as part of an IRMASWORLD pop-up at Sotheby’s auction house on Odeonsplatz in Munich. The opening night will take place on 19 May.
<img class=”size-full wp-image-96509″ src=”https://www.irmasworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bild-6-scaled.jpg” alt=”” width=”1920″ height=”2560″ /> Sylvia Agnes Meister painting
<img class=”size-full wp-image-96510″ src=”https://www.irmasworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bild-7-scaled.jpeg” alt=”” width=”1895″ height=”2560″ /> Various artworks in the studio