GROßSTADT! MENSCHEN! TECHNIK! GEFAHR!

From 21 November 2025 to 31 January 2026, the gallery will be showing a group exhibition in which modernist works from 1920 to 1970 will be brought together with contemporary art for the first time.

Under the alarmist title "Großstadt! Menschen! Technik! Gefahr!" (borrowed from a 1966 crime film), the exhibition focuses on urban spaces and architecture, construction sites, industry and traffic – a complex of themes that has always played a central role in the gallery's programme. This thematic focus is also reflected in the collection of modern works, which are presented in dense hanging on a large, coloured wall.

Paintings, drawings and graphic art from the 20th century are brought together to depict cityscapes of all kind: works of classical modernism, from expressionism and New Objectivity, lead into the various styles of figurative, realistic post-war art. Last but not least, different perspectives and temperaments become apparent, from the hectic bustle of the big city to melancholic depictions of deserted streets and squares. Berlin motifs appear frequently, especially since many of the selected works are by artists who studied, lived and worked here. All kinds of transport – cars, aeroplanes, trains – also become subjects of artistic appropriation.

Although this collection includes some well-known names, the focus is on the lost generation, i.e. those painters whose careers were severely interrupted by the political circumstances of the 20th century. They are therefore hardly known to a broad audience, but they created high-quality works typical of their time that are now worth rediscovering. This also applies to most of the younger artists in the collection, who came into contact with modernism at the academies shortly after the war, but who derived their own artistic paths from it. At the same time, comparable lines of development and personal encounters can be traced time and again, for example among former students of Max Beckmann's or Karl Hofer's painting classes. Like a magnifying glass, the collection thus reflects the stylistic and formal diversity of pre- and post-war modernism, which is presented here on the basis of a concise theme.

The exhibition is complemented by works by artists represented by the gallery – an ambiguous juxtaposition that reveals striking differences on the one hand, but also surprising points of contact on the other.

The opening will take place on Friday, 21 November from 6 to 9 pm. You are cordially invited!