Johannes Grützke : Last chance

With "Johannes Grützke. Der Menschenmaler", the Kunsthalle Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church Art Gallery) is presenting the first comprehensive exhibition in the region on the work of the Berlin artist (1937-2017).

The 50 or so works on display offer a multi-layered insight into the work of one of the most idiosyncratic representatives of figurative painting in post-war German art.

Grützke's powerful visual language, characterised by intellectual acuity and subversive humour, consistently places people at the centre. His works do not depict idealised images, but tragicomic, complex and deeply social individuals. Over the course of half a century, he created an unmistakable oeuvre that dissects role models, masquerades and social absurdities with a sharp eye. A narrative panorama of human behaviour unfolds in portraits, group pictures and scenic compositions.

The exhibition is divided into four thematic areas that illuminate central aspects of Johannes Grützke's work.

Last edited on 08.09.2025