Career & Entrepreneurship
Daniel Eisenhut meets with his leaders
This weekend Vivamost was at a networking event at Kunst 19 Zurich. Swiss/Israeli artist Daniel Eisenhut had invited about 70 women, who took part in his project “Lipstick Leaders.”
During the years 2016-2018 he drew portraits with charcoal of amazing Swiss women. For the project Eisenhut had to travel about 12,000 km to find his leaders. He chose only women, he explained, because in our society most leaders are men. The project, he continued, is not about women but about leaders.
Daniel Eisenhut project Lipstick Leaders – credits Vivamost
How did he find his leaders? Twenty of them came from his immediate network. Others are the leaders of his leaders. He was able to find more during his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2017. Daniel Eisenhut met these ladies later at their work and sat down with 140 of them. Each portrait took about half an hour. They all have something in common: the ladies are not smiling and they wear some red lipstick. They are editors in chief, CEOs, activists, professors, politicians, lawyers, women in the finance sector, a bishop, etc…
Eisenhut listened to the leaders, something he found difficult to do at first like many men in our society. His goals were to become a good listener, to find out what is success for a woman and what makes her a leader. He found out quickly that the idea of success for women is so different than the one for men. For women success is team or company related while for men it is self centered; it is a “we did this” against an “I did this.”
Drawing of Magdalena Kurpierz, Group CEO & Founder of KVALITO AG, artist Daniel Eisenhut – credits Vivamost
And what is a leader for Eisenhut? It is someone who has a vision, invites others to join in and takes not only the responsibility of the vision upon hers shoulders but the people as well.
The 100 Lipstick Leaders Project was first shown in June 2018. While I was asking him to name me a couple of his leaders, they started to arrive. Ah said Eisenhut, with a voice full of emotions and hugging the first few, “The project is getting alive now that they come together.”
The first one to get there was Magdalena Kurpierz, Group CEO & Founder of KVALITO AG. When he drew Magdalena, he had just finished his 70th portrait and was starting to doubt on his own project. She arrived at the right time, like an angel falling from heaven. Together he was able to continue the project and they became real friends.
More and more women arrived and the networking started from itself. The ambiance was perfect, all sharing stories while drinking a glass of Champagne. All were joyful to see their portraits in an exhibition. Photos were being taken.
Magdalena Kurpierz, Group CEO & Founder of KVALITO AG with artist Daniel Eisenhut at Kunst 19 Zurich – credits Vivamost.
The 100 women canvases were hanging there on a long white wall, with in front of them a red carpet. It was like being in a palace´s museum. The artist was happy.
Daniel Eisenhut plans to continue the project abroad. More exhibitions are planned for 2019.
Who knows maybe you will be the next one on his list!
Daniel Eisenhut at Kunst 19 Zurich during his exhibition “Lipstick Leaders” – credits Vivamost
