Denke frei, schaffe neu!

Denke frei, schaffe neu! This collection presentation traces the evolution of art as a mirror of both social and creative freedom, brought to life through a curated selection of works. The journey begins in the late 19th century, at a moment when tradition reared up for one last defense, striving to maintain its hold. But already, the spirit of the new was in the air—questioning conventions and testing fresh forms of expression.

In the 20th century, the momentum toward freedom only grew. Many artists embraced abstraction, while proponents of New Objectivity created counter-worlds in response to harsh political realities. But no account of this era would be complete without acknowledging the profound ruptures caused by the First and Second World Wars. Under the Nazi regime, many artists in this collection were branded “degenerate” and banned from working. The abstract tendencies of postwar informal and constructivist art stand as powerful testaments to a renewed sense of liberation, flourishing in the latter half of the century.

The demand for both personal and societal independence also pulses through the works of the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Georg Baselitz upended visual norms—literally—by painting his motifs upside down, turning artistic autonomy into a radical act of self-assertion. Inge Mahn’s sculptural interventions present freedom as the power to reimagine space and challenge everyday structures. Salomé, by contrast, used expressive gesture and vibrant color to foreground self-staging and sexual identity—freedom as performance.

Contemporary artists such as André Butzer, Hell Gette, Andrew Gilbert, Mehmet & Kazim, and Evan Roth now revisit the question of freedom from today’s vantage point: How free are we—really?
Denke frei, schaffe neu! reminds us that the struggle for freedom—its gains, its perils, its future—is as vital now as ever.

Curator: Hannah Eckstein
Assistant Curator: Marisa Zeising

Opening Reception: June 28, 2025, 6 PM