EYE-CATCHING. MODERN

Hardly any other theme has shaped the art of the early decades of the 20th century as profoundly as the exploration of the human condition. Artists responded to the experiences of war, social upheaval, industrialisation and urbanisation, as well as to questions concerning new forms of individual and collective identity.
The exhibition BLICK.FANG.MODERNE – Portrayals of Humanity between Expressionism and New Objectivity is dedicated to the great diversity of portraits, self-portraits and other depictions of humanity that emerged from this tension.
With Expressionism, the human figure was depicted not naturalistically, but through expressive alienation, using powerful colours and lines. Portraits and likenesses are less like representations and more like psychological condensations: they reflect inner states, existential tensions and the search for authenticity. After the First World War, New Objectivity introduced a counter-trend: detached observation, precise drawing and an often unsparing sobriety now characterised the new image of humanity. Between these two poles – expressive subjectivity and objective precision – a wide spectrum of artistic positions unfolds, one that also encompasses transitions and hybrid forms.
The exhibition presents around 65 works – watercolours, drawings and prints – by 36 artists, including well-known figures such as Emil Nolde, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt Rottluff, Käthe Kollwitz, Karl Hofer and Georg Grosz, as well as others who are less familiar today. Artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel sought existential truth in expressive forms, whilst Christian Schad and Otto Dix portrayed their fellow human beings with sharp sobriety in the ‘New Objectivity’ style.
The exhibition demonstrates the diverse ways in which the artists of this period viewed their fellow human beings and themselves: at times intense and expressive, at others critical, precise and unflinchingly honest.
Five themes structure the exhibition space:
1. Expressive alienation and unsparing sobriety: the portrait in modern art
2. The Self – Self-portraits between analysis and self-presentation
3. The Other – psychological insight and social networks
4. Coexistence – intimacy and isolation
5. Between naturalness and projection: The nude as a representation of humanity
A key focus of the exhibition is on the works of three artists with a special connection to Aschaffenburg and the region: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, born in Aschaffenburg in 1880; Fritz Schaefler, born in Eschau im Spessart in 1888; and Christian Schad, who lived in Aschaffenburg and Keilberg from 1942 onwards. Their works combine international modernism with regional identity.
All works belong to the Lower Franconia Private Collection. The exhibition BLICK.FANG.MODERNE presents, for the first time, a selection from the collection comprising some 1,600 works, thereby offering a rare and fascinating insight into private collecting.

Last edited on 04.05.2026