The Murano Mythos

The Murano Mythos
Reopening of the glass collection

Following extensive modernization, one of the world’s largest glass collections is on display again.

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View in the exhibition, Photo: Andreas Endermann
View in the exhibition, Photo: Andreas Endermann

In a newly created exhibition area of our glass collection, annually changing themed exhibitions will be shown from now on. It all starts with The Murano Mythos: For 700 years, the small lagoon island of Murano near Venice has been the epitome of great glass art.

Ancient glassmaking traditions are preserved here and secrets of new colors and production methods are kept. The last great heyday was from 1920 to 1970, and the legend of Murano still lives on today. The Kunstpalast has an extensive collection from this period, from which 135 outstanding works are presented.

Alessandro Pianon, Orange chick (pulcino), Murano, ca. 1960-1962
Alessandro Pianon, Orange chick (pulcino), Murano, ca. 1960-1962

From the 13th century onwards, Venice developed into the global capital of glass art. The best raw materials were available in the port and trading metropolis, enabling the production of new types of glass. Competition in a confined space and over many generations led to the development of an expertise in the use of the glassmaker’s pipe that was unmatched elsewhere.
After 500 years of ups and downs, the 19th century saw a new dawn. The workshops of the Italian lawyer and entrepreneur Antonio Salviati brought new life to glass production, and Murano regained its reputation in the 1870s.

This success was short-lived, as Italian glass, which was based on historical models, was no longer in line with contemporary tastes from around 1890. In 1921-1925, a new glass company was founded by the Venetian art dealer Giacomo Cappellin and the Milanese lawyer Paolo Venini. Their products take up forms from the past and yet appear timelessly modern.

Luciano Gaspari, vase from the
Luciano Gaspari, vase from the “Marine” series, Murano, ca. 1965-1980

After the Second World War, a young generation of designers emerged. With their love of experimenting with Italian design, they brought new ideas to Murano. Foreign trading houses, for example in France and the USA, exerted considerable influence, securing the operation of the production facilities through their regular orders.
A predominant product from the workshops is the vase, which has a utilitarian character and can also be considered a work of art in its own right.

The step towards free artistic sculpture was rarely taken. The Venetian artists Livio Seguso and Luciano Vistosi are the notable exceptions with their works that move away from the vase form. With their fascination for glass as a material, artists from all over the world, such as the sculptor Tony Cragg, are now turning their ideas into glass on Murano.
There are now workshops that work with artists in many countries. But “The Murano Mythos” still attracts visitors to Venice.

Curator: Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk, Kunstpalast

Richard von Kralik/ J. & L. Lobmeyr/Meyr’s Neffe | Titurelpokal und Gralsschale aus der Parcivalserie, 1889
Richard von Kralik/ J. & L. Lobmeyr/Meyr’s Neffe | Titurelpokal und Gralsschale aus der Parcivalserie, 1889

Reopening of the glass collection


Following extensive modernization, one of the world’s largest glass collections is on display again: Over 1,500 exhibits from the collection of around 13,000 objects will provide an insight into the history of glass art – starting with antiquity, through the Middle Ages to contemporary glass objects.

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Mama

From Mary to Merkel

12 Mar – 3 Aug 2025

Mama
Sumi Anjuman, I am the Mother too, 2019

Date

12 Mar – 3 Aug 2025

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 16 € / concessions 12 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Stillende Mutter, 1902
Paula Modersohn-Becker, Stillende Mutter, 1902

The Kunstpalast dedicated a comprehensive exhibition to the manifold ideas of what it means to have, become or be a mother.

The focus is on the societal expectations that have always influenced motherhood and are reflected in art, culture and everyday life. The approximately 120 works on display from the fourteenth century to the present day create a panorama that involves everyone, including fathers and those without children of their own.

Peter Opsvik, Tripp Trapp, Entwurf 1972
Peter Opsvik, Tripp Trapp, Entwurf 1972

In addition to painting, sculpture, video installations and photography, the broad spectrum of the show also encompasses everyday objects as well as music and commercial images. Connections between the works reveal continuities, but also the versatility of depictions of mothers, which are continuously being appropriated, reinterpreted, disputed and celebrated.

Curators: Linda Conze, Westrey Page, Anna Christina Schütz, Kunstpalast

Alice Neel, The Family, 1980
Alice Neel, The Family, 1980

MAMAPHONE


Motherhood has many facets – and the MAMAPHONE has captured numerous voices on the subject.

As part of a participatory campaign, many people sent us their thoughts and experiences on the subject of motherhood by voice message. These voices are now part of a large spatial installation that brings the diversity of this topic to life.

Catalogue about the ex­hibition

Ed.: Linda Conze, Westrey Page, Anna Christina Schütz | 200 p. | 132 col. ill. | 23.5 x 28.5 cm | German | Hardcover

45,00 €

Delivery time: 3-5 days

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Supported by

Testausstellung

Spaß im Spiegelzelt

8 Aug – 11 Aug 2024

Date

8 Aug – 11 Aug 2024

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 9 € / concessions 7 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Die Ausstellung gibt den Besuchenden die Möglichkeit, den künstlerischen Prozess Tony Craggs nachzuempfinden und mit allen Sinnen seine Arbeiten zu begreifen.

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Wann möchten Sie die Ausstellung besuchen?

Sophia Süßmilch, The awkward hug, Brutus Rotterdam, 22.5.2024, Foto: Sahil Kilic
Sophia Süßmilch, The awkward hug, Brutus Rotterdam, 22.5.2024, Foto: Sahil Kilic

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Katalog

Hrsg.: Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Westrey Page | 200 S. | 258 meist farb. Abb. | 28,5×23,5 cm | deutsch | Hardcover | Museumsausgabe: 29,80 €

42,00 €

Delivery time: 3-5 days

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Begleitprogramm

Gefördert von

Spot On: Hairytales

20 June – 27 Oct 2024

Spot On: Hairytales
Rebecca Racine Ramershoven, Pearls, 2022

Date

20 June – 27 Oct 2024

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 16 € / concessions 12 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Philips, Mobile Trockenhaube, ca. 1970
Philips, Mobile Trockenhaube, ca. 1970

Discover our new exhibition in the Spot On Room of our collection!

Whether short or long, curly, frizzy or straight, tousled, blow-dried or braided:  The way that hair is styled tells us something about social status and belonging to societal groups. Cuts and hairdos expose notions of gender and body image of their time. They reflect norms and are an expression of political protest and resistance.

Julian Westermann, For Ever, 2019
Julian Westermann, For Ever, 2019

 
Female body hair is at the centre of this cabinet exhibition, which presents works of painting, photography, graphic art and design from the 16th century to the present day.  The spectrum ranges from Renaissance goddesses to a mobile drying bonnet and a body with artificial pubic hair. Art’s view of the female body and the depiction of its hair over the centuries bear witness to ideals of beauty, forms of desire and everyday grooming routines. Dedicated to the hairy stories in the Kunstpalast collection, “Hairytales” opens up perspectives on this intimate, symbolic material.

Curator: Ellen Haak, Research assistant in the photography collection at the Kunstpalast.

In cooperation with

Elias Sime

Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

12 Feb – 1 June 2025

Elias Sime
Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Processor No. 6, 2022, Detail

Date

12 Feb – 1 June 2025

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 16 € / concessions 12 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

In spring 2025, the Kunstpalast dedicated a large-scale exhibition to the Ethiopian artist Elias Sime (*1968). In this first solo exhibition in a German-speaking country, the development of his work from the early 2000s to the present day can be traced.

Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Flowers, 2017
Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Flowers, 2017

Since Sime’s participation in the Venice Biennale in the exhibition “The Milk of Dreams” in 2022, his work has received widespread international recognition. His art can be found in important collections such as the Metropolitan Museum, New York, Saint Louis Art Museum and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Elias Sime, Veiled Whispers, 2022
Elias Sime, Veiled Whispers, 2022

Elias Sime assembles large-format reliefs from everyday objects and discarded electronic components. The artist collects the material for this in his home city of Addis Ababa at one of Africa’s largest open-air markets. Interwoven wires, rearranged keyboard keys, collaged motherboards – Sime has developed a captivating aesthetic through the repurposing and utilization of electronic waste. The elements of his works refer to their respective journeys around the world and to the many hands through which they have passed; by which they were produced, used and recycled.

Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Processor #6, 2022, Detail
Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Processor #6, 2022, Detail

In his artistic practice, Sime explicitly juxtaposes the global with the local and draws attention to the influence that technology has on our society, as well as its mass consumption and its effects. He examines the complexity of various forms of communication and questions the role of interpersonal relationships. This interest is also reflected in the collaborative approach on which all of Sime’s works are based and which is practiced in his studio in Addis Ababa. A workshop at the center of the Düsseldorf presentation, where events take place and visitors can experiment with the artist’s materials and techniques, picks up on this aspect. Sime’s studio is a component of the joint project Zoma Museum, which he co-founded and which is also presented in the exhibition at the Kunstpalast and which underlines his far-reaching reputation in the African art and cultural scene.

Exhibition Catalogue

Edited by: Felicity Korn | 112 p. | 83 col. ill. | 29,5 x 22,5 cm | German | hardcover | publisher DCV | museum edition: 29,80 €

35,00 €

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The exhibition was initiated by the Arnolfini in Bristol and further developed for Düsseldorf. At the Biennale in Venice in 2024, the artist presented an exhibition of his most recent works in cooperation with the Kunstpalast.

Curator: Felicity Korn, Head of Collection, 20th and 21st Century

Supported by

Kunstpalast in Bloom

12 Apr – 21 Apr 2024

Kunstpalast in Bloom
Floral composition “cloud” by Tannendiele in front of “Himmelfahrt Mariae” by Peter Paul Rubens, Photo: Anne Orthen

Date

12 Apr – 21 Apr 2024

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 16 € / concessions 12 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Floral composition by Victor Breuer in the collection in front of the work
Floral composition by Victor Breuer in the collection in front of the work “Amor, einen Pfeil in ein Herz stechend”, ca. 1890, Sally von Kügelgen, Photo: Sabrina Rothe

Fragrant blossoms, fresh greenery and blossoming branches – just in time for the start of spring and for a short time only, an extraordinary presentation will be on show at the Kunstpalast for the first time from 12 April!

11 Düsseldorf florists will be interpreting the artworks from the recently reopened collection tour. They will complement them with their own ephemeral sculpture – a creative flower arrangement. The resulting new poetic spaces invite visitors to view nature in a different context and to take a surprising new look at art.

Numerous renowned florists responded to the Kunstpalast’s call to engage with the museum’s collection and create floral interpretations of individual works. They had a completely free hand in selecting the works and designing the corresponding floral arrangements.

Participating Florists

Blumenhaus am Hofgarten – Tino Hoogterp
Blumen Lehmann – Victoria Bernds
Blumen Tanzmann – Anne Haase-Tanzmann
Die Blumenmanufaktur – Thomas Mickeleit
Dornrose – Sabine Krusekopf
Nymph Blumendesign – Alla Mandic
October First Studio – Nina Gehrke
Tannendiele – Astrid Franke, Michael Frings
Victor Breuer – Victor Breuer, Nele Münzner

Sponsored by

Size Matters

Scale in Photography

1 Feb – 20 May 2024

Size Matters

Date

1 Feb – 20 May 2024

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 16 € / concessions 12 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Kathrin Sonntag, Dinge im Hintergrund #4, 2022
Kathrin Sonntag, Dinge im Hintergrund #4, 2022

Any tinkering with size in an image is bound to alter our perception of it completely: objects are accentuated, plucked out of context, magnified and reinterpreted. They draw closer, inviting scrutiny, or dissolve into a blur before our eyes. Size Matters: Scale in Photography illuminates the significant and often overlooked semantic shifts that accompany changes to scale in photography.

Of all media, photography is the most adept at adjusting its scale; it can effortlessly expand to become a large-size image on a museum wall but is equally capable of shrinking to a thumbnail on a smartphone screen. It creates miniatures of the world, depicting things both life-size and larger than life, making the invisible visible.

Alex Grein, Prunus Laurocesarus, 2018
Alex Grein, Prunus Laurocesarus, 2018

The exhibition shows how it is precisely this unique ability to navigate dimensions that explains the effectiveness of the medium in cultural, social and political contexts. Artworks from the late 19th century to the present encourage contemplation of the implications of size for how we perceive and interact with photographic images. The presentation draws on the Kunstpalast’s own collection and is enriched by national and international loans that complement the curated selection of works.

Curator: Linda Conze, Head of the Photography Collection, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf

Artists:


Bernd und Hilla Becher, Kristleifur Björnsson, Karl Blossfeldt, Georg Böttger, Renata Bracksieck, Natalie Czech, Jan Dibbets, Josef Maria Eder und Eduard Valenta, Leonard Elfert, Claudia Fährenkemper, Hanna Josing, Alex Grein, Andreas Gursky, Franz Hanfstaengl, Erik Kessels, Heinrich Koch, Jochen Lempert, Rosa Menkman, Duane Michals, Joanna Nencek, Floris M. Neusüss, Georg Pahl, Trevor Paglen, W. Paulcker, Sigmar Polke, Seth Price, Timm Rautert, Sebastian Riemer, Amanda Ross-Ho, Evan Roth, Thomas Ruff, August Sander, Adrian Sauer, Morgaine Schäfer, Hugo Schmölz, Karl-Hugo Schmölz, Katharina Sieverding, Kathrin Sonntag, Lucia Sotnikova, Simon Starling, Clare Strand, Carl Strüwe, Andrzej Steinbach, Julius Stinde, Anna Stüdeli, Wolfgang Tillmans, Moritz Wegwerth, René Zuber

Paloma Varga Weisz, Beulenmann, 2020, Foto: Deborah Eisinger
Paloma Varga Weisz, Beulenmann, 2020, Foto: Deborah Eisinger

Photo Competition Giveaway


Become part of the exhibition


Simply transform yourself, your loved ones or objects from your everyday life into giants or dwarves on purpose!
With a bit of luck, your photo will not only be featured on our social media channels, but will also be displayed within the exhibition.

You can win a “Size Matters” exhibition catalogue along with two admission vouchers, which will be raffled off and given away to the most creative entry once a month during the exhibition (February-May).

Send us your most unusual photos by email to gewinnspiel@kunstpalast.de, or direct message or tag us in your post on Instagram @kunstpalast. Good luck experimenting turning standards upside down! We are looking forward to seeing your photos dropping in.

Catalogue

The catalogue, published by Distanzverlag, comprises 116 pages and 92 illustrations.

Museum edition: 29,80 €
Book trade edition: 36 €

The catalogue will soon be available in our shop.

Sponsored by

Die Kleine 2024

27 Apr – 26 May 2024

Die Kleine 2024
Die Kleine 2024, Photo, Anne Orthen

Date

27 Apr – 26 May 2024

Location

» NRW-Forum
  • Admission: Kostenlos / concessions

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Die Kleine 2024, Photo: Anne Orthen
Die Kleine 2024, Photo: Anne Orthen

This year’s theme explores the connection between art and sport: “Ready, set, go! DIE KLEINE and sport”. Children can work in any medium, be it painting, collage, objects, photography or film. All submitted artworks will be on view in the closing exhibition. DIE KLEINE is arranged under the auspices of the Mayor of Düsseldorf, Dr Stephan Keller.

DIE KLEINE is the closing exhibition of the art competition for primary schools, which will be held for the fifth time in 2024. Open to all primary schools in Düsseldorf and the surrounding region, the competition aims to unleash the creativity of young schoolchildren and give them the opportunity to experience the museum as an enriching extracurricular learning space.

Curator: Friederike van Delden, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf

Archive

Sponsored by

Die GROSSE Kunstausstellung NRW

A Juried Art Exhibition

23 June – 28 July 2024

Die GROSSE Kunstausstellung NRW
Die GROSSE 2024, Photo; Morgaine Prinz

Date

23 June – 28 July 2024

Location

» Kunstpalast & NRW-Forum
  • Admission: 12 € / concessions 8 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Die GROSSE 2024, Photo: Morgaine Prinz
Die GROSSE 2024, Photo: Morgaine Prinz

In 2024, Kunstpalast, NRW-Forum and Ehrenhof will once again host Germany’s largest exhibition organised by artists for artists. Outdoor sculptures will create a visual link between the two well-known art institutions in Düsseldorf.

Since 1902, the Verein zur Veranstaltung von Kunstausstellungen e.V. (Association for the Organisation of Art Exhibitions) has provided a unique platform for the exchange of ideas between artists, art enthusiasts and art buyers.

Visitors have the opportunity to purchase works directly on site, bypassing the gallery. The selection of participating artists is made each year by a rotating jury from a pool of numerous applications. Featured works include those in painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation and video.

Tickets are available on site at the boxoffice.
 
Exhibition director: Emmanuel Mir
Organisation: Verein zur Veranstaltung von Kunstausstellungen e. V.

Gerhard Richter

Hidden Gems. Works from Rhenish Private Collections

5 September 2024 – 2 February 2025

Date

5 September 2024 – 2 February 2025

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 16 € / concessions 12 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Gerhard Richter, I.S.A., 1984
Gerhard Richter, I.S.A., 1984

Our major exhibition brings together more than 120 artworks from all of Gerhard Richter’s creative periods and groups of work. Many of the selected exhibits are hidden treasures: pieces from private collections that have rarely – if ever – been shown in public before. As part of the most comprehensive Gerhard Richter exhibition in Germany for over ten years, these works provide an insight into the entire spectrum of his art – from his beginnings in the early 1960s to more recent times.

The exhibition focuses on the Rhineland as the perfect setting for the evolution of Gerhard Richter’s oeuvre following his move from Dresden in 1961. It was here that he met other like-minded artists such as Sigmar Polke and Günther Uecker, role models and provocative figures like Joseph Beuys, and eventually the curious and enterprising community of collectors that had formed around the emerging galleries in Düsseldorf and Cologne.

Gerhard Richter, Blumen, 1977
Gerhard Richter, Blumen, 1977

The exhibits on display were acquired by enthusiastic collectors, as well as by major businesses from the 1980s onwards, and were also sometimes exchanged with fellow artists. Over time, many of the works have been passed down to the younger generation, who are actively keeping the tradition of collecting alive in the Rhineland today.

With around 120 works, the exhibition provides an overview of Richter’s entire oeuvre from the early 1960s to the present day. The emphasis is on painting: more than 80 works lead visitors on a journey from Richter’s first black and white photo paintings, austere colour charts and grey pictures to monumental landscapes and soft, free abstractions, culminating in his final non-representational images from 2017. Drawings, watercolours, photographs, sculptures and the only artist film made by Richter himself all attest to the great richness of the collections here in the Rhineland and lend the exhibition a retrospective dimension.

Gerhard Richter, Wolke, 1976
Gerhard Richter, Wolke, 1976

 
The exhibition is curated by Gerhard Richter expert Markus Heinzelmann, Professor of Museum Practice at Ruhr University Bochum.
The show is supported by the Gerhard Richter Archive.

Exhibition Catalogue

Gerhard Richter. Hidden Gems, Ed.: Markus Heinzelmann | 208 p. | 130 pictures | 27 x 36 cm | German | Hardcover | Hatje Cantz Verlag |

Supported by