Beyond the world. The Blue Rider

At the beginning of the 20th century, a circle of artists with a shared vision formed in Munich. Their common goal was to renew art and transform society.

Of particular importance in this endeavour were the two exhibitions organised by the editorial team of Der Blaue Reiter in Munich in 1911–12. The title explicitly referred to the almanac’s mission: this programmatic annual established Der Blaue Reiter as part of a global artistic movement that transcended eras and genres. Der Blaue Reiter was, however, more than that: it was based on a network of exchange that viewed cultural differences as a creative resource. In a transnational dialogue – spanning from the German Empire and France to the Russian Empire and the USA – the participants created new visual languages for a changing world. Many of them led unconventional lives, challenged gender roles and sought new forms of representation beyond bourgeois norms.

The exhibition focuses on their pioneering achievements – from Franz Marc’s symbolic colour theory and Wassily Kandinsky’s abstractions to Alexander Sacharoff’s performative transgressions. Particular attention is paid to the female artists who – unusually visible for their time – played a central role in the movement. Alongside Gabriele Münter’s expressive painting are Elisabeth Epstein’s evocative self-portraits, the dramatic paintings of the cosmopolitan Marianne von Werefkin, and Maria Franck-Marc’s enigmatic still lifes and utopian children’s worlds.

Significant new additions to the Lenbachhaus collection, such as the large-format abstract compositions by Wilhelm Morgner or the socially critical works by Emmy Klinker and Albert Bloch, are on display for the first time. With over 240 works, the exhibition opens up new perspectives on one of the most significant movements of the European avant-garde and demonstrates how relevant its questions regarding emancipation, aesthetic practice and cross-genre innovations remain today. Der Blaue Reiter understood art as a message and not merely as a problem of (beautiful) form. In a poem from 1911, Else Lasker-Schüler describes the search for a broader horizon with the words: Beyond the world.

The exhibition is taking place as part of the preparations for our 100th anniversary: 100 Years of the Lenbachhaus 1929 / 2029.

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Last edited on 15.04.2026