Paula Modersohn-Becker and Edvard Munch. The Big Questions of Life

 

• Albertinum 

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  08/02/2026—31/05/2026
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Focusing on the ‘big questions of life,’ works by Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876–1907) and Edvard Munch (1863–1944) are being shown in dialogue for the first time. The exhibition marks the 150th birthday of Paula Modersohn- Becker, who was born in Dresden. In their now world-famous paintings, both artists reflected on fundamental questions of life. Becoming, being, and perishing – life, love, and death – were press ing themes in philosophy and art around 1900. The concept of ‘life’ was omnipresent, standing for naturalness and youth, and opposing convention and stagnation.

As part of its partnership with the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD), which began in 2006, A. Lange & Söhne is supporting the exhibition “Paula Modersohn-Becker and Edvard Munch. The Big Questions of Life”. In collaboration with the Munchmuseet Oslo and to celebrate the 150th birthday of Dresden-born Paula Modersohn-Becker, this is the first major joint presentation of the works of both artists, whose relevance remains undiminished to this day.

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self-Portrait with Hand on Chin, 1906/07 © Landesmuseum Hannover/ARTOTHEK

 

Edvard Munch, Self-Portrait Against a Blue Sky, 1908 © Munchmuseet, Oslo

From 8 February to 31 May 2026, the special exhibition “Paula Modersohn-Becker and Edvard Munch. The Big Questions of Life” will showcase an unprecedented large-scale comparison of the works of both artists, who are considered pioneers of Expressionist Modernism and whose art remains highly relevant to this day.

Paula Modersohn-Becker was born on 8 February 1876 in Dresden, one year after Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the founder of Saxon precision watchmaking, passed away. Within a short period of time – she was only 31 when she died – she made rapid artistic progress and developed a completely unique visual language. The same can be said of Edvard Munch, who was born in Norway in 1863 and is also considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Over the course of six decades, he created a vast body of work that includes numerous seminal modernist pieces.

Two expressionists in dialogue

The exhibition illustrates how Modersohn-Becker and Munch found innovative artistic answers to the existential questions of their era – ranging from birth to death – in their expressive paintings. From the 1890s until Modersohn-Becker’s premature death in 1907 and Edvard Munch's return to Norway from Germany in 1908, these answers were presented in numerous works.

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Still Life with Clay Jug, Lemons and Oranges, 1906 © Albertinum | GNM, Dresden State Art Collections, Photo: Hans-Peter Klut

Around 1900, the term “life” experienced a period of great popular interest, emerging as a counterpoint to convention, stagnation and meaninglessness. The word evoked a sense of dynamic immediacy, renewal and youth. Modersohn-Becker and Munch became seismographs of their generation. Their paintings bring together two worlds, different temperaments and perspectives, which nevertheless have much in common.

“Questions about the meaning and cycle of life are timeless. The universal imagery that Modersohn-Becker and Munch found for this purpose is still relevant today. Our partner A. Lange & Söhne also stands for a timeless language of form and design. We are extremely grateful for the support of this special project and the long-standing commitment to Saxony's cultural heritage,” said SKD Director General Dr. Bernd Ebert.

“This exhibition showcases the unique artistic journeys of two individuals who consistently pushed the boundaries,” says Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne. “This aspiration also underpins our own identity as a manufacture. Through their exhibitions, the SKD demonstrate how art can connect people across time and space.”

Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White—Prints from the Rembrandt House Museum

Taft Museum of Art

February 7–May 17, 2026

Co-organized by the Rembrandt House Museum (the artist’s former home and studio in Amsterdam) and the American Federation of Arts, this is the first time in 27 years that this exquisite collection of etchings will be displayed outside of the Netherlands. The show includes nearly fifty rarely exhibited works, presenting the depth and breadth of Rembrandt’s etching subjects, including portraits, self-portraits, scenes from daily life, landscapes, narrative scenes, and still lifes. The exhibition also demonstrates his centuries-long impact on the field of printmaking through a select group of etchings by Rembrandt’s contemporaries, as well as later admirers including James McNeill Whistler and Pablo Picasso. 

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669) is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. His innovation, creativity, and influence is evident not only in his paintings, but also in the more than 300 etchings he made during his career. At a time when most saw etching primarily as a vehicle to reproduce famous works of art, Rembrandt utilized the medium to create groundbreaking compositions. Filled with delicate lines and velvety shadows, his etchings often convey the same psychological intensity seen in his oil paintings. 

"We at the Rembrandt House Museum are delighted to bring Rembrandt's fascinating prints to audiences outside of the Netherlands,” says Epco Runia, Head of Collections at the Rembrandt House Museum and the show’s curator. “With this exhibition we hope to demonstrate that each of Rembrandt's prints is a work of art in its own right. If you take the time to look at them closely, a whole world opens up to you: a world in black and white, but with enormous visual richness."

In the exhibition, forty-five etchings—many among his most well-known—demonstrate Rembrandt’s pioneering approach to printmaking. Eight sections examine themes including the artist’s working directly from life, creating emotional impact through the use of light and dark, and shaping identity through portraits and self-portraits. A special part of the exhibition focuses on how Rembrandt made his etchings, through video, etching tools and materials, and copper plates used by the artist himself. Finally, fifteen etchings by later artists show Rembrandt’s impact across generations. Throughout, Rembrandt’s innovative visual storytelling emerges in powerful details of human expression, and his lasting legacy becomes evident. 

“This is an exciting time to showcase the pioneering techniques of one of the world’s most famous artists,” says Tamera Lenz Muente, curator, who will oversee the presentation of the show at the Taft Museum of Art. “One of the Taft’s most significant and beloved paintings is Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Man Rising from His Chair, so it’s wonderful to be able to further highlight his artistic achievements. In 1999, the Taft debuted etchings from the Rembrandt House Museum to critical acclaim in the U.S., and we are thrilled to be one of three museums on their second American tour. It’s an opportunity to introduce a new generation to Rembrandt’s remarkable creative vision. The intimacy of his etchings, their awe-inspiring draftsmanship, and their emotional impact make these works still very relevant today.”

Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White—Prints from the Rembrandt House Museum debuted on March 5, 2025, at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in Birmingham, UK. Subsequently, this exhibition will travel to the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina (October 24, 2025–January 11, 2026), then the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio (February 7–May 17, 2026), and will be followed by the Naples Art Institute, Naples, Florida (October 10, 2026–January 17, 2027). 

Curator

Epco Runia is Head of Collections at the Rembrandt House Museum and a specialist in seventeenth-century Dutch art, particularly Rembrandt. Runia began his career at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, worked at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, and served as a curator and educator at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.

IMAGES

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), Self-Portrait, Wearing a Flat Cap, about 1642, etching, 3 11/16 x 2 7/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), A Scholar in His Study (“Faust”), 1652, etching and drypoint, 8 1/4 x 6 5/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Shell (Conus Marmoreus), 1650, etching and drypoint, 3 13/16 x 5 3/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Return of the Prodigal Son, 1636, etching, 6 1/8 x 5 3/8 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Return of the Prodigal Son (etching plate), 1636, copper, 6 1/8 x 5 3/8 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), Sleeping Puppy, about 1640, etching and drypoint, 1 9/16 x 3 3/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Windmill, 1641, etching and drypoint, 5 11/16 x 8 3/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Rat-Poison Peddler, 1632, etching, 5 1/2 x 4 15/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Hog, 1643, etching and drypoint, 5 11/16 x 7 1/4 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), Farmhouses Beside a Canal, about 1645, etching, 5 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds, 1634, etching, burin, and drypoint, 10 5/16 x 8 9/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), Mary with Child, with the Cat and the Snake, 1654, etching, 3 3/4 x 5 11/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), Simeon’s Hymn of Praise, 1630, etching, 4 1/16 x 3 1/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), View of Haarlem and Bloemendaal, 1651, etching, 4 3/4 x 12 9/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Star of the Kings: A Night Piece, about 1651, etching and drypoint, 3 11/16 x 5 5/8 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

“German Masterworks from the Neue Galerie”

August Macke
(1887-1914)
Strollers at the Lake II, 1912
Oil on canvas
Neue Galerie New York
This work is part of the collection of Estée Lauder and was made available through the generosity of Estée Lauder

“German Masterworks from the Neue Galerie” features highlights from the museum’s extensive collection of German art from the period 1890 to 1940. Simultaneous with the Austrian Expressionist movement, avant-garde initiatives occurred in Germany in the Brücke (Bridge) and Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) groups with groundbreaking results realized vis-à-vis the use of color and form.

Prominent examples of work by Brücke artists will be on view, including 

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Tightrope Walk (1908-10), 

Max Pechstein’s Young Woman with Red Fan (ca. 1910), 

and

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff’s 1910 Landscape with Houses and Trees (Dangast before the Storm).

For the Blaue Reiter, 

Vasily Kandinsky’s Murnau: Street with Women of 1908 and August Macke’s 1912 Strollers at the Lake II are especially noteworthy.

The Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement is also addressed with prominent selections, such as

Otto Dix’s 1929 Portrait of Johann Edwin Wolfensberger and Georg Scholz’s 1922 Of Things to Come.

The diversity of the artwork associated with the Bauhaus is vividly illustrated in the canvases of Lyonel Feininger, such as his 1925 The Blue Cloud, Paul Klee’s 1925 Mystical-Ceramic (in the Manner of a Still-Life), and László Moholy-Nagy’s A XI of 1923. 

In the decorative arts, iconic designs by Bauhaus artists, such as Theodor Bogler, Marianne Brandt, Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Wilhelm Wagenfeld confirm the prestigious legacy of the school, its faculty, and its students.

Finally, Felix Nussbaum’s haunting 1940 Self-Portrait in the Camp serves as witness to the terrible tragedy that unfolded under the National Socialist regime.