Expressive! Prints from Dürer to Schlichter

A face contorted with pain, arms raised toward the sky, a faint, barely perceptible smile, or tousled hair: the visual language of emotions is universal and understood regardless of time or culture. The exhibition “Expressive! Prints from Dürer to Schlichter” sheds new light on key works from the museum’s own collection and, through themed galleries, demonstrates how artists have been making the inner world of emotions visible for centuries.

From Albrecht Dürer to Rembrandt and Guido Reni, and on to Käthe Kollwitz and Rudolf Schlichter, a wide range of artistic approaches unfolds. Through some 250 watercolors, drawings, and prints spanning the 15th to the 21st centuries, the Kunstmuseum Karlsruhe presents multifaceted explorations of human emotions.

Portraits and Self-Portraits: Rembrandt, van Ostade, Dumas

What does a face really reveal? As early as the 16th century, Dutch artists developed the genre of the “tronie”—studies of heads and faces that often depict anonymous figures. The studies presented in the exhibition demonstrate the precision with which Dürer, Rembrandt, and their contemporaries observed and depicted facial expressions and gestures. The exhibition juxtaposes these historical works with contemporary pieces: artists such as Marlene Dumas, Ulrike Michaelis, and Arnulf Rainer deliberately break with rigid attributions in their “self-play” and address the artist-subject itself.

Love and a Sense of Togetherness: Dürer, Carracci, Nagel
The works on display express not only individual facial expressions but also interpersonal relationships. Love, devotion, affection, and solidarity form the emotional foundation of social structures. A spectrum spans from the Holy Family as a Christian ideal to modern depictions of partnership and family, reflecting notions of harmony, care, and community.
Devotional prints, such as Albrecht Dürer’s “Mary on the Grass Bench, Nursing the Child” (1503), present an idealized image that has been revisited and reinterpreted over the centuries. At the same time, the exhibition highlights the evolution of family imagery: from the functionally oriented domestic community of the early modern period to modern conceptions, as depicted by Hanna Nagel in her pen-and-ink drawing “Playing Child” (1931).

Pathos and Horror: Van Leyden, Callot, Schoofs
The human body, too, becomes a canvas for intense emotions: in depictions of the Passion of Christ, the torments of martyrs, and even in secular scenes, artists such as van Leyden, Callot, and Schoofs powerfully explore themes of pain, violence, and death. The works are based on a visual strategy that remains relevant to this day: they aim to evoke emotional reactions such as compassion, wonder, or horror and to draw the viewer directly into the scene depicted.

Get involved and help shape the exhibition
A special section of the exhibition invites visitors to participate actively: Visitors can explore paper in a playful way. Origami folding instructions encourage them to create their own designs. The resulting objects become part of the exhibition and are displayed in their own dedicated area. This creates a collective process that encourages engagement with the theme while also providing a personal memento.

Masterpieces from Dürer to Rembrandt to Tiepolo: The Siegel Collection
Ferdinand Siegel (1783–1877), a lawyer practicing in Mannheim and Karlsruhe, amassed an extensive collection of over 1,800 European prints by the time of his death. In 1896, the “Siegel Collection” was bequeathed by his heirs to the City of Karlsruhe and formed the foundation of today’s art museum.
Its focus is on German and Dutch masters from the 15th to the 19th century. It is complemented by significant works by Italian and French artists. Artists such as Martin Schongauer, Albrecht Dürer, and Lucas Cranach the Elder, as well as Lucas van Leyden, Anthonis van Dyck, Adriaen van Ostade, and Rembrandt, are featured alongside Guido Reni, Annibale and Agostino Carracci, Tiepolo, Canaletto, Callot, and Claude Lorrain.