29 September 2023 to 14 February 2024

Heads - masked, transformed

Museum für Neue Kunst

The human countenance: it reflects personality, reveals emotions and states of mind – occasionally it also imparts things that one would rather hide. Make-up or masks disguise it, indeed, they transform it. The paintings, prints, sculptures and hand-made objects inhabit this dynamic field of imparting, concealing and transforming. The exhibition presents over ninety works belonging to a private collection that ranges in its chronological sweep from the fourteenth century to the present day. The artworks have one thing in common: they bear witnesses to their time and yet they are timeless – making them both topical and emotionally compelling.

The collector couple lives in Berlin but grew up in the Black Forest. Both continue to have strong ties to the region. Their enthusiasm for the traditional Elzach Fasnet  and its famous wooden masks was the instigation for their collection. The overall focus is on works by international artists who approach the human head and face in various ways – either simply recording it, developing their view of it, or deforming it.