Angels & Urchins, 400 Years of Childrens Portraits

The Spring Exhibition is dedicated to child portraiture. Over 130 works document changes in the world of children from the 16th century to the present. Visitors embark on a time journey from the court portrait, genre and romantic children’s portraits to Biedermeier, modern and contemporary 20th and 21st-century portraits. It emerges how closely the history of child portraiture is linked with the wishes and hopes of its patrons and creators. The mutual interrelation of child portrayed and adult portrayer, especially in contemporary art, is focused on. The history and culture of material things like clothing, furniture and toys grounds the subject in the everyday, turning the exhibition into an event.