Gustav-Lübcke-Museum
September 5, 2026 through February 21, 2027
Between battlefield and breakfast table, between abyss and everyday life: The exhibition “War and Jam: George Grosz x Daniel Richter” brings two of the most important German artists into a dialogue that is as surprising as it is compelling.
The contrast in the title programmatically represents the tension that runs through the work of both artists: the juxtaposition of violence and ordinariness, of political crisis and private existence. On approximately 800 square meters, the uncompromising social analyses of George Grosz (1893-1959) meet the visually powerful, ambiguous paintings of Daniel Richter (born 1962). This opens up a cross-generational perspective on the question of how art responds to times of uncertainty.
For the first time, the works of both artists are systematically juxtaposed. Grosz, known as a chronicler of the Weimar Republic, dissects the social and political upheavals of his time with precise, often ruthlessly honest drawings. Richter, influenced by punk, on the other hand, has since the 1990s translated social conflicts into expressive, color-intensive visual worlds that are less about accusing than about revealing the ambivalences of the present.
With monumental paintings such as Billiards at Half-Past Nine (2001), small-format works, and rarely seen political collages, the exhibition offers a comprehensive insight into Daniel Richter's oeuvre. Highlights include specially developed works that directly reference the work of George Grosz.
The exhibition showcases George Grosz's collages, oil paintings, watercolors, ink drawings, and portfolios. Visitors gain insights into all the formative phases of his work – from the First World War through the Weimar Republic and the rise of fascism to his time after emigrating to the USA.
| Curators: Annette Vogel , expert on George Grosz and guest curator at German and international museums for 25 years, and Ronja Friedrichs , deputy director of GLM and head of the Fine and Applied Arts collection
Daniel Richter, Billiards at Half-Past Nine, 2001, lacquer paint, oil on canvas, 260 x 375 cm, Kunsthalle zu Kiel © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026, Photo: Foto-Renard, Kiel
George Grosz, Twilight, 1922, Watercolor XVI from the portfolio Ecce Homo, © Estate of George Grosz, Princeton, NJ / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
George Grosz, Paris, 1925, watercolour, 72 cm x 54 cm, Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin © Estate of George Grosz, Princeton, N.J. / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026, Reproduktion: Michael Setzpfandt, Berlin
Daniel Richter, untitled, 2021, ink on paper, 42 x 29,7 cm, Sammlung Lütjenburg © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
George Grosz, Cain, or Hitler in Hell 1944, oil on canvas, 99 x 124,5 cm, Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin, bpk-Fotoarchiv © Estate of George Grosz, Princeton, N.J. / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
Daniel Richter, Untitled, from a series of 18 screenprints, 2013, Screenprint, 131 x 100 cm, Sammlung Lütjenburg © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
Daniel Richter, Tränen und Gesabber, 2021, oil on canvas, 220 x 165 cm, Sammlung Lütjenburg © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
