Maarten van Heemskerck & Co. – Welt/Bewegend

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the nine-part graphic piece The Cycle of Human Existence, preserved as a complete set in only a few museums worldwide. It was engraved by Cornelis Cort after designs by Maarten van Heemskerck and published in 1564 in Hieronymus Cock's famous Antwerp print shop Aux Quatre Vents (In de Vier Winden). Conceptually framed by the depictions of the Triumph of the World and the Last Judgment, the engravings present a continuous sequence of the triumphs of wealth, arrogance, envy, war, poverty, humility, as well as peace. Due to human ambitions, actions, and weaknesses, those 'triumphs' are constantly created and replaced until the Apocalypse. The copperplate engravings thus not only functioned as important catalysts of contemporary confessional, political, and economic tensions in the Netherlands of the 16th century, but also demonstrate their remarkable relevance today.

The exhibition was created in cooperation with the SFB 1391 Other Aesthetics.

Opening hours:

By appointment
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Link to the website of the graphic collection