2017

Six works by Hoppmann at the major museum in Kassel. Information and photos from the current exhibition Hercules 300 – Rebirth of a Hero, a special exhibition at Schloss Wilhelmshöhe 31, Kassel, from March 2017 to October 8, 2017.

Artists:

Johannes Grützke, Rudi Hurzlmeier, Hubertus Giebe, Rainer G. Mordmüller, James Francis Gill, Pit Morell, Ernst Kahl, F.W. Bernstein, Michael Sowa, Hans Traxler, Til Mette, Gerhard Glück, Otto Waalkes, Peter Gaymann und Albert Schindehütte, Adolf Menzel and Markus Lüpertz

Museum Description

In 2017, the Hercules of Kassel turns 300, and the Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel celebrates this anniversary with a major special exhibition at Wilhelmshöhe Palace. The exhibition is divided into two sections and brings together sculptures, paintings, and prints exploring the iconography of Hercules, most of which come from the museum’s own collection.

Using ancient artefacts, the exhibition explores the art-historical context of Hercules as well as the Greek myth without which the Colossus of Kassel would not exist. Its model—a monumental sculpture of Hercules—was excavated in Rome in 1546 and subsequently installed in the Palazzo Farnese. The artwork greatly impressed Landgrave Carl of Hesse-Kassel during his journey to Italy, and a few years later he chose it as the model for the crowning feature of his Gesamtkunstwerk on the Karlsberg. Prints and paintings illustrate the statue’s development and the enduring legacy of the colossal copper sculpture.

Die Ausstellung stellt die Rezeption des Kasseler Herkules in der bildenden Kunst des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts vor. Dass der Koloss nicht nur Wahrzeichen Nordhessens ist, sondern auch überregional eine wichtige Position einnimmt, dokumentieren neben dem seit 2013 geführten Titel als UNESCO-Welterbe auch die Reflexionen seitens zeitgenössischer Künstler, die im zweiten Teil der Ausstellung präsentiert werden.