15 September 2015 – 22 August 2016
The Red Thread
On Structures in Narration

Kolumba’s new exhibition for the coming year is dedicated to narration. What means do the fine arts use to tell stories and to what extent do their structures and contents differ from other narrative forms, for example, that of literature? In keeping with our collection, we are featuring works from the various media and from over eight centuries. At the center stands the Vita of St. Severin, a medieval cycle of paintings on twenty large canvases that hands down to us the main paths and byways of an eventful life. This story in painted pictures stands opposite an almost cinematic video work, in addition to photograph series and extensive portfolio works, but the show also includes sculptures and individual paintings that condense the narration within a single motif. The exhibition displays numerous works from our own collection, which have not been introduced so far, such as the spectacular new acquisition of the Late Gothic »Christ in Distress«.

Artists whose works are on display in the exhibition include: Michael Ashkin, Victoria Bell, Kurt Benning, Hubert Berke, Gaston Chaissac, Michael Buthe, Otto Dix, Felix Droese, Bill Fontana, Erasmus Grasser, Keith Haring, Patrick Henkel, Rebecca Horn, Leiko Ikemura, Hans Josephsohn, Leonhard Kern, Ilya Kabakov, Konrad Klapheck, Jannis Kounellis, Heinrich Küpper, Leipziger Buchkinder, Stefan Lochner, Andreas Maus, Marcel Odenbach, Richard Serra, Louis Soutter, Andy Warhol, Andor Weininger.

Art museum of the
Archdiocese of Cologne