When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 12:00 PM in Villa Rosenthal Jena.

What is the admission fee?

Admission to the exhibition is free.

Where is Villa Rosenthal located?

Villa Rosenthal is located at Mälzerstraße 11, 07745 Jena.

What works are on display?

Bettina Schünemann's 40-sheet series The Grand Inquisitor from 1990 inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky will be shown.

What artistic techniques does Bettina Schünemann use?

The works combine paper, wallpaper, printed forms, and newspaper papers with gouache, watercolor, crayons, and pencil.

Are there tours or educational programs available?

Information on tours or additional educational programs for this date is not provided.

The Grand Inquisitor: Bettina Schünemann's Compelling Images on Freedom and Authority

Name: Word Worlds|Image Worlds: "The Grand Inquisitor"
Start: 2026-10-22T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-22T12:00:00+02:00
Location: Villa Rosenthal Jena

Freedom or Authority? Bettina Schünemann's Dostoevsky Images in Villa Rosenthal

The exhibition Word Worlds|Image Worlds: "The Grand Inquisitor" presents a compelling series of works by Bettina Schünemann inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky at Villa Rosenthal Jena. The central question is whether humanity truly wishes to live in freedom or longs for security, order, and authority.

A Literary Fundamental Question Becomes a Visual Experience

Dostoevsky's character of the Grand Inquisitor is one of the most poignant figures in European literature. As a guardian of church and faith, he doubts whether people really desire the freedom intended by Christ. Bettina Schünemann translates this inner conflict into a psychologically concentrated visual language.

Forty Sheets Between Painting and Collage

The series, created in 1990 and consisting of 40 sheets, is considered one of the early major works of the artist. Schünemann focuses exclusively on the head of the authoritarian ruler. This reduction gives the works an intense presence: face, gaze, and physiognomic tension become carriers of a political and existential conflict.

Materials such as paper, wallpaper, printed forms, and newspaper papers serve as image carriers. Carefully collaged, Schünemann combines these materials with gouache and watercolor, crayons, and pencil. The different surfaces create a multi-layered aesthetic between drawing, painting, and material image. In the examination of the works, structure, overlay, and color traces become as prominent as the immediate expressiveness of the human face.

Exhibition Atmosphere and Aesthetic Experience

The presentation in Villa Rosenthal creates space for a concentrated art experience. Between historical rooms and the materially diverse sheets, an exhibition atmosphere arises where literature, visual arts, and political reflection intertwine. Paper does not act neutrally but as a vulnerable, storing, and at the same time unruly ground for imagery.

Art Historical Classification and Political Relevance

Schünemann's works connect elements of figurative drawing, collage, and expressive painting. The series can be read as a psychological study of an authoritarian ruler while simultaneously opening a dialogue with questions of political education. Freedom and authority do not appear as abstract opposites but as fields of tension in social life.

Especially in light of the cultural and political climate in Germany and worldwide, the exhibition has an immediate contemporary relevance. The curation leads from Dostoevsky's literary thought experiment to an aesthetic experience that challenges personal judgment formation.

Conclusion: An Exhibition for Literature and Art Enthusiasts

Visitors can expect a concentrated encounter with an important series of works by Bettina Schünemann, where literature, painting, collage, and political reflection converge. Anyone who wants to experience the question of freedom and authority not just through reading but through faces, materials, and image spaces should definitely visit this exhibition live at Villa Rosenthal.