Please note: This workshop will be held in German.

What does a skull stand for? Or why does Mary wear a blue coat?
In this workshop you get to know more about the encrypted messages in the Kunstpalast’s artworks. Together, we will discover how artists emphasize personalities and subtly convey their social or holy status. Dip into the world of attributes und capturen them in your own drawings.
Beginner or advanced – everyone is welcome to join!

Please note: The talk will be held in German.
The Scharf Collection continues the fourth generation of a branch of the renowned Otto Gerstenberg Collection in Berlin, which focuses on French art from the beginnings of modernism to the post-war period. Today, René Scharf and his wife Christiane Scharf also specialise in international contemporary artists, including works by Sam Francis, Martin Eder and Katharina Grosse.
In conversation with Kathrin DuBois, curator of the exhibition, they discuss the family tradition of collecting, their particular interest in the medium of painting, and the relationship between figurative and abstract pictorial worlds.

Please note: This workshop will be held in German!

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of fragrance layering! In this special workshop, we will first learn about the basic fragrance families and notes before becoming layering pros in a speed dating format: we will create new fragrance profiles using niche fragrances, molecular fragrances and individual notes. We will be given an introduction to the world of perfumes and valuable tips on how to build our own fragrance wardrobe and use it specifically for different moods and occasions.
Please do not wear any perfume to the workshop.

Melina Klinger studied art history and museum studies at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Bonn. She wrote her thesis on olfactory art in the exhibition context and uses her fragrance archive to advise interested parties on fragrance wardrobes.

This tour focuses on the influence of Japanese art on French Impressionism. After the World’s Fairs in Vienna and Paris in the 1870s, a veritable Japan fever spread throughout Europe—in particular, the motifs and compositions of Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) influenced French Impressionists such as Monet, Renoir, and Bonnard.

The tour will be led by Nana Tazuke-Steiniger, M.A. Her research focuses on the history of collecting and exhibiting Japanese art in the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly in the context of foreign relations between Germany and Japan.

Rows of houses, streets and alleys, or passers-by – we capture urbane scenes with pen and brush. No matter if beginner or advanced, learn more about perspective, explore depth effect and image space as well as experimenting with the techniques of water colour painting together with the artistic guidance of our workshop guide. Join us and let your creativity flow freely.

Artist-quality materials are provided.

Late Romantic painting in Düsseldorf
Late Romantic painting in Düsseldorf developed in the 19th century around the Düsseldorf Art Academy and is characterized by a special combination of nature depiction, mood, and narrative elements. The artists created historical and landscape paintings that also convey emotional impressions and atmospheric moods. These works often open a window to one’s own memories and experiences in nature.

In addition to the art-historical background, this special series focuses on mutual exchange and personal impressions. Sometimes all it takes is a picture to start a conversation or bring back memories. Our experienced art educators guide you through the collection exhibition and introduce individual works of art or artists in dialogue with the group.

After the tour, we cordially invite you to continue the conversation in a cozy atmosphere over coffee and cake.

The price includes a slice of cake and a coffee, cappuccino, tea or soft drink of your choice.

This format is aimed at people who would like to enrich their everyday lives through new encounters and who are interested in art. No prior knowledge is required.

Please note: This workshop will be held in German.

Spring is here! Everything turns green and early bloomers poke out of the soil. With colourful pencils and vibrant water colours we capture the awakening nature in our drawing.
Beginner or advanced – everyone is welcome to join!

Please note: This tour will be held in German!

The history of the fragrance
In this special series, the focus lies not only on selected art-historical insights, but above all on shared exchange and personal perceptions. This time, we aim to evoke memories through the sense of smell.

On this short guided tour, we embark on a sensory journey through selected periods and artworks, guided by various scent stations. Natural essences derived from woods and resins point to long routes connecting Asia and Europe. They were used in religion, rituals, medicine, and personal care. Along the way, selected artworks also open up perspectives on trade and structures of power.

The tour invites you to look closely, consciously perceive, and share impressions with each other—and to experience art in a completely different, sensual way.

After the tour, we cordially invite you to continue the conversation in a cozy atmosphere over coffee and cake.

The price includes a slice of cake and a coffee, cappuccino, tea or soft drink of your choice.

This format is aimed at people who would like to enrich their everyday lives through new encounters and who are interested in art. No prior knowledge is required.