Exhibition

Ausstellungsflügel

In Greek mythology we read about Actaeon the hunter who inadvertently stumbles upon Diana bathing in the nude. As a punishment for catching this glimpse, he is changed into a stag and is subsequently torn apart by his own dogs. This horrific event was a fairly frequent subject for paintings in Greek art.

After Ovid had included the story of Diana and Actaeon in his book on transformations - "Metamorphoses" - the subject was frequently depicted between the Renaissance and Classicism, as part of a general move to revisit antiquity. This subject from Greek mythology attracted renewed interest among 20th-century artists who focused largely on the psychological aspect.

Using works that relate directly to this mythical tale, the exhibition seeks to cover a broad range: using paintings from antiquity, the Renaissance, Mannerism, the Baroque, Classicism, the 20th century and contemporary art, the exhibition offers an introduction to the complex area of the forbidden glimpse and of erotic art. While delighting in the subject, the exhibition nevertheless maintains the necessary respect for this fascinating and difficult subject.

As well as works from antiquity and from the early history of art, paintings from the following artists have been requested for the exhibition: Gustave Courbet, Auguste Rodin, Pierre Bonnard, Ferdinand Hodler, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, various representatives of Surrealism, Balthus, Pierre Klossowski and Tom Wesselmann. The contemporary period will be represented by artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Markus Raetz, Balthasar Burkhard, Cindy Sherman, Nobuyoshi Araki, Noritoshi Hirakawa and Marlene Dumas.