From Dürer to Lady Gaga, from Beckmann to Lotte Laserstein: the Städel Museum and the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung will present the first comprehensive exhibition in the German-speaking world dedicated to the extraordinary figure of Mary Magdalene. The exhibition traces the transformation of her image over the centuries—from apostle and devoted follower of Jesus to sinner and ascetic penitent, from ecstatic saint to modern, self-determined woman and identification figure.
About the Exhibition
At the heart of the exhibition are key works from the collections of the Städel Museum and the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung. More than 100 outstanding paintings, sculptures and works on paper spanning from the Middle Ages to the present day—including major loans from German and international collections—offer a multifaceted perspective on the artistic and emotional range of representations of Mary Magdalene. With a special focus on women artists, the Städel Museum will feature works by Lavinia Fontana, Elisabetta Sirani, Luisa Roldán, Lotte Laserstein, Kiki Smith, Marlene Dumas and Nieves González, alongside masterpieces by renowned male artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Pedro de Mena, Guercino, Georges de La Tour, Claude Lorrain, Auguste Rodin, Arnold Böcklin, Max Beckmann and David LaChapelle.
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Saint Mary Magdalene in the Desert (Madeleine à la Sainte-Baume), 1869
Max Beckmann
Christ and the Sinner, 1917
Girolamo Di Benvenuto
The Bearing of the Cross, The Crucifixion and The Lamentation, 1501–1600
Southern Germany/Austria?
Saint Mary Magdalene as a Penitent, First half of the 17th century
Luisa Roldán
Ecstasy of Saint Mary Magdalene, circa 1700
Few subjects have been depicted and reinterpreted in such diverse ways over the centuries.
Mary Magdalene is one of the most complex figures in Christian tradition. She is a contradictory character who has been constructed and reinterpreted time and again over the centuries: as Christ’s companion, as saint and sinner, and as a symbol of both desire and repentance. From the writings of the New Testament and medieval legends to the present day, she has inspired countless artistic interpretations, often reflecting the prevailing ideas of femininity, spirituality and autonomy of each era. The exhibition at the Städel Museum presents these diverse interpretations of Mary Magdalene. She emerges both as a projection screen for cultural and religious ideas and as an independent, multifaceted figure negotiating between body, faith and the social roles attributed to her. At the same time, the exhibition traces her iconographic transformation into popular culture, revealing how each era has inscribed its own questions, ideals and longings into her image.
An exhibition of the Städel Museum and the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung
Curators
Dr Bastian Eclercy (Head of Italian, French and Spanish Paintings before 1800, Städel Museum)
Dr Stefan Roller (Head of the Medieval Department, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung)
Sponsors & Patrons
Sponsored by
Gemeinnützige Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain GmbH, Dagmar Westberg Stiftung, Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
With additional support by
Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung
Media Partners
Süddeutsche Zeitung, ARTE
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