Wish Images in the Jena Art Collection: Experience New Acquisitions

Wish Images in Jena: When a Collection Tells Its Recent History

The exhibition Wish Images. Acquisitions of the Jena Art Collection presents central new acquisitions from recent years and offers a multifaceted view of the development of the municipal art collection. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, video, and installation engage in a complex dialogue about collecting, preserving, and contemporary art.

New Works, New Perspectives

At the center are numerous individual acquisitions, unique works, and new additions from Berlin and Frankfurt am Main. Additionally, there is a larger donation of works from the southern German area and a graphic collection featuring works from the GDR era. The exhibition highlights how curatorial decisions, art historical research, and civic engagement continue to shape the character of a collection.

Painting, Graphics, Sculpture, and Moving Images

The exploration of the works traverses various media and aesthetic experiences. Color fields, drawing traces, graphic structures, photographic documents, and plastic forms exert their impact in the exhibition space. Videos and installations extend the classical presentation and provide the exhibition with a contemporary, cross-media exhibition atmosphere.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and the History of Collecting

Among the special acquisitions is the repurchase of a double print by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner from the Degenerate Art Action. For the Jena collection, Kirchner designated about 260 works in 1918, a substantial portion of which was lost in the 1930s. This work thus refers to the tumultuous history of the collection and the responsibility associated with preserving art.

A Farewell of Art Historical Weight

With this exhibition, Erik Stephan is retiring after many years of work for the Jena Municipal Museums. Under his curatorial leadership, an impressive series of exhibitions, research, and restoration projects emerged. Wish Images is therefore not only a presentation of new artworks but also a retrospective of a defining era in the Jena art collection.

Cultural Education through Direct Encounter

The exhibition invites visitors to connect acquisition history, provenance, collection policy, and aesthetic quality. Art enthusiasts experience how a public collection evolves through research, publications, funding, and exchanges with artists and institutions. In particular, the direct confrontation with the works creates an artistic experience that digital representations cannot replace.

Conclusion: Experience a Collection in Progress Live

Wish Images connects contemporary art, classical modernity, and the recent history of the Jena art collection into an impressive exhibition. Visitors can expect an inspiring exploration of works full of visual surprises, historical references, and sensory impressions. Anyone wishing to understand collecting as a cultural practice and experience art in its spatial impact should definitely visit this exhibition live.

Official Channels of the Jena Art Collection:

• Instagram: no official profile found
• Facebook: no official profile found
• YouTube: no official profile found
• Website: https://www.kunstsammlung-jena.de/de/1053806

Sources:

• Jena Art Collection – WISH IMAGES. Acquisitions of the Jena Art Collection
• Jena Art Collection – Event page for the exhibition
• JenaKultur – Wish Images. Acquisitions of the Jena Art Collection
• MDR – From Beuys to Götze: How Curator Erik Stephan Brought Wish Images to Jena