What remains – Evamarie Sander's life, family, and research
The exhibition showcases a curated selection from the estate of Evamarie Sander (1928–2023), a plant pathologist and the first female professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Tübingen. The objects on display include furniture, household items, books, photo albums, clothing, jewellery, and art and ethnographic pieces from her home in Unterjesingen. The presentation makes Sander's world tangible within the museum while asking what remains of a life when it is told primarily through objects. The contextual section surrounding the core of the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect how they would approach their own estate by posing reflective questions.
Evamarie Sander
Evamarie Sander (1928–2023) was a phytopathologist and the first female professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Tübingen. As a researcher
and academic teacher, she shaped the development of plant virology over the course of several decades and influenced generations of students.
The Sander project
Following her passing, Evamarie Sander bequeathed her academic and personal estate, including furniture, everyday objects, academic and private literature, correspondence, photo albums, films, jewellery, clothing, art, and ethnographic objects, to the MUT and the University Archives of Tübingen. Since 2024, the MUT has been cataloguing the Evamarie Sanders estate as part of a multi-year project. The museum is examining the holdings, preserving them, and transferring them to the 'Sander Collection'. In cooperation with the University’s Portrait Collection, the Institute of Musicology and the Ludwig Uhland Institute of Historical and Cultural Anthropology, the University Archives of Tübingen is complementing this by processing the written documents.
Publication
The richly illustrated exhibition catalogue is dedicated to the legacy of Evamarie Sander, offering a comprehensive insight into the diverse estate of herself, her family, and her research.
Ernst Seidl, Lucas Rau und Teresa Pohl (edd.), Was bleibt. Evamarie Sanders Leben, Familie und Wissenschaft (Schriften des Museums der Universität Tübingen MUT, 33), Tübingen 2026; 375 pages with over 250 colour illustrations throughout; ISBN 978-3-949680-16-8
Vernissage
July 23rd, 2026, 7 pm
Castle Church | Hohentübingen Castle
Burgsteige 11 | 72070 Tübingen
Programme
Professor Dr. Monique Scheer
Vice-President for International Strategy and Diversity of the University of Tübingen
Greeting
Professor Dr. Ernst Seidl
MUT Director
Greeting
Lucas Rau and Teresa Pohl
Project Supervisors
Introduction