When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition can be seen on October 15, 2026, starting at 10 am at the Kunsthalle Mannheim.

Where is the Kunsthalle Mannheim located?

The Kunsthalle Mannheim is located at Friedrichsplatz 4 in 68165 Mannheim.

Which artists are featured in the exhibition?

The mentioned artists include Albrecht Dürer, Hendrick Goltzius, Bernhard Rode, and Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

How many works will be shown?

The presentation includes about 80 sheets from the graphic collection of Anton von Klein.

Is there a guided tour for the exhibition?

Overview tours for the exhibition are announced on Mannheim.de.

How much does admission cost?

A specific admission price for this exhibition date could not be reliably confirmed.

Dürer to Piranesi: Discover Fascinating Printmaking in Mannheim's Kunsthalle

Name: From Dürer to Piranesi – Printmaking from the Mannheim Collection of Anton von Klein (1746 – 1810)
Start: 2026-10-15T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-15T18:00:00+02:00
Location: Kunsthalle Mannheim

From Dürer to Piranesi: Masterful Printmaking at the Kunsthalle Mannheim

The exhibition at the Kunsthalle Mannheim opens a fascinating view of the graphic collection of Anton von Klein, professor of the so-called fine sciences at the court of Elector Karl Theodor. Around 80 sheets guide through European printmaking and show how images conveyed knowledge, expanded cultural horizons, and could shape aesthetic experience in the 18th century.

A Collection Between Education and Visual Art

Anton von Klein utilized images with a fine pedagogical intuition. His collection combined art historical quality with the aim of making history, mythology, architecture, and societal concepts vivid. The collection that arrived in the Kunsthalle in 1922 thus forms not only a significant stock of European printmaking but also a testament to Enlightenment educational culture.

From Albrecht Dürer to Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The examination of works leads from Albrecht Dürer's precise line art through the virtuoso shapes of Hendrick Goltzius and Bernhard Rode to the impressive architectural visions of Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Different techniques, visual languages, and epochs enter into a dialog full of tension. Each etching and each engraving unfolds its own dramaturgy of line, light-dark contrast, richness of detail, and spatial imagination.

Line, Light, and Spatial Effect

Printmaking lives from concentration. Fine hatching densifies areas, contours guide the gaze, and light emerges from the interplay of paper and inking blackness. Particularly Piranesi's image spaces develop an almost theatrical effect, while Dürer's sheets capture nature and the human body with great observational sharpness. The exhibition atmosphere invites viewers to see slowly and discover the aesthetic precision of each individual sheet.

Art Historical Contextualization and Cultural Education

As the start of an exhibition series, the presentation makes visible how European art history is conveyed through media, collections, and educational interests. The curation by Dr. Ursula Drahoss, with curatorial assistance from Alessia Tardivo, links historical contextualization with immediate visualization. Thus, the exhibition becomes an art experience for all who are interested in painting, drawing, printmaking, art history, and the history of collecting.

Conclusion: A Concentrated Art Experience in Mannheim

Visitors can expect a knowledgeable arrangement of encounters with around 80 outstanding sheets of European printmaking. The exhibition combines art historical expertise with sensory examination of works and shows how complex image worlds arise from line, paper, and printer's ink. Those who want to experience the development of printmaking from Dürer to Piranesi firsthand should not miss this exhibition at the Kunsthalle Mannheim.