The Antikenmuseum regularly organises special exhibitions on changing themes of Greco-Roman antiquity.
23. June 2022 to 31. March 2023
When the Antikenmuseum was established in Leipzig around 1840, the first clay vessels made in ancient Athens also arrived. The city was a national centre of ceramic production for over 200 years from the 6th century BC. During the museum's heyday, the collection grew considerably: in 1897, the collection of the archaeologist Friedrich Hauser was acquired, followed shortly afterwards by donations from the art dealers Edward Perry Warren and John Marshall. Thanks to these additions, the museum now has several thousand vessels and fragments.
Collections like the one in Leipzig can be found in museums all over the world. A scientific endeavour founded in 1921 is dedicated to systematically cataloguing them: The Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. The aim is to document the painted Greek vessels of antiquity in the museums and collections of the 25 participating countries and make them accessible to experts.
With our presentation, we are visualising collections from the depots of the Antikenmuseum and their research in the heart of Leipzig. The tour begins with the obvious, the décor. It mainly includes depictions of people and scenes from the world of Greek myth with its gods and heroes. The traces of production are easy to overlook. However, drawings can also be used to visualise the path from the designed to the finished picture. The same applies to history. It left behind recognisable traces such as repairs, but also separated things that belonged together and even made objects completely invisible through accidents of loss. It is therefore all the more wonderful when some things that were thought to be lost can be (re)found and at least some of them can be shown in the course of the exhibition.
A joint exhibition of the collections of Leipzig University at the Egyptian Museum - Georg Steindorff - and the Antikenmuseum
2. June to 14. November 2021
Introduction
The exhibition STONERICH uses selected objects from the rich holdings of Leipzig University's collections to explore the question of how the use of ‘stone’ has shaped our culture over the millennia in practical, artistic and metaphorical terms. The focus is on the early history of mankind and antiquity, i.e. the first heyday of the material ‘stone’, as researched specifically by the subjects of prehistory and early history and Egyptology as well as by classical antiquity studies (classical archaeology, ancient history, classical philology). This does not exclude views into geological history as well as the Middle Ages and modern times. In some respects, the exhibition also ties in directly with our everyday knowledge and contemporary issues.
This broad cultural-historical perspective is complemented by a focus on the history of science. The exhibition also addresses the changes in scientific views on the subject of ‘stone’ over the past centuries. Selected researchers from within and around Leipzig University have their say.
We have deliberately avoided organising the exhibition along a timeline. Instead, visitors can expect a tour through sixteen interdisciplinary themed stations - eight in the Egyptian Museum and eight in the Antikenmuseum - each of which illuminates different facets of the general theme of ‘stone’ in independent presentations. The large number of participating collections makes it possible to present well-known and lesser-known objects in an unprecedented combination. In this respect, the exhibition also has the character of a research laboratory, which, in surprising constellations of objects, sheds new light on the familiar and thus raises new questions.
The participating museums and collections of Leipzig University
- Egyptian Museum - Georg Steindorff
Antikenmuseum
Geological-Palaeontological Collection
Custody of the Art Collection
Teaching Collection Anatomy
Teaching Collection Pathology
Zoology teaching collection
Medical History Collection at the Karl Sudhoff Institute
Mineralogical-Petrographic Collection
MusicInstrumentMuseum
Collection of Prehistory and Early History
University Library Bibliotheca Albertina
21. April to 15. July 2018
An exhibition by the Antikenmuseum at Leipzig University in collaboration with the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) Istanbul Department and the Chair of Representation Studies at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
Introduction
At the centre of the exhibition is a new virtual 3D reconstruction of ancient Pergamon, developed by the Chair of Representation Studies at the BTU Cottbus in cooperation with the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). The show provides visitors with a modern, vivid image of ancient urban spaces. At the same time, it is intended to encourage visitors to reflect on their own urban environment.
As the seat of power of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty and as a Roman metropolis, Pergamon on the west coast of Turkey was one of the most prominent urban centres of the ancient world. For over 130 years, archaeologists led by the DAI have been researching the urban organism as a whole, the necropolises and the surrounding area of the city.
The exhibition focuses on the numerous scientific reconstructions that have been made since the start of the excavations, bringing the ruins of Pergamon's buildings to life. They help archaeologists, building researchers and the lay public to understand ancient architecture as a whole, including its relationship to the living and natural environment created by man.
At the beginning, visitors can look forward to the film installation of the new 3D reconstruction of Pergamon, which illustrates the urban city organism as a whole in a walk to the Acropolis with the rulers' palaces. The show then turns to central urban spaces in which the inhabitants lived and worked and which were of great importance for their education, religion and cults. The following chapter presents the archaeological and architectural-historical work and scientific documentation of the preserved building remains, on which the scientifically correct and vivid reconstruction of individual buildings, architectural ensembles and entire cities is based.
Finally, the exhibition turns to various media for visualising ancient architecture. In addition to older graphic reconstructions of individual building complexes, a miniaturised printout of the 360° Pergamon panorama by the artist and architect Yadegar Asisi is on display. Particular attention is paid to the digital visualisations that have been perfected in recent years. Archaeologists use them not only to visualise research results, but increasingly also as an important tool for producing new findings and broadening scientific horizons.
Lender
- Cast Collection of Ancient Sculpture of the Free University of Berlin
- Archaeological Museum of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
- Asisi Panorama International GmbH
- German Archaeological Institute, Archive of the Head Office
- Collection of Plaster Casts of the Archaeological Institute, Georg-August-University Göttingen
- National Museums in Berlin, Prussian Cultural Heritage, Collection of Classical Antiquities
- University Library Bibliotheca Albertina Leipzig
Sponsors and supporters
In co-operation with:
German Archaeological Institute - Istanbul Department
BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg
With the kind support of:
Sparkasse Leipzig
Lions Club Leipzig Saxonia
Association of Friends and Sponsors of Leipzig University e.V.
asisi Panorama International
HPP Architects
Dr Rohde - Law firm
Imprint
Exhibition design and graphics: museumsfreunde Berlin
Exhibition organisation: Grit Karen Friedmann, Hans-Peter Müller, Marco Blechschmidt and students of the course ‘Archaeology of the Ancient World’
Texts: Frederike Armonies, Samuel Aster, Marco Blechschmidt, Paula Büttner, Burkhard Emme, Marlene Götz, Dominik Lengyel, Pavel Lubentsov, Cornelia Neubauer, David Rohm, Sabine Schleiffer, Johanna Scholz, Martin Stange, Hanna Vetterlein, Sandra Zentile
Editors: Jörn Lang, Hans-Peter Müller, Felix Pirson
Restoration supervision: Grit Karen Friedmann
Exhibition idea and concept: Hans-Peter Müller, Felix Pirson and students of the ‘Archaeology of the Ancient World’ degree programme
22.06.2016 - 05.02.2017
Finissage: 18.12.2016
Introduction
A project by Olaf Martens, the City of Leipzig, the Leipzig Cultural Foundation and the Antikenmueum at Leipzig University.
Leibniz Room in the Alte Nikolaischule Inn, atrium and Antikenmuseum in the Alte Nikolaischule at Nikolaikirchhof
Not Man / Not Dream
The thinker of many worlds! You've never seen Leibniz like this before!
Follow Leipzig photographer Olaf Martens (1963) as he takes a contemporary look at the academic, engineer, mathematician, philosopher and networker Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and creates his own unique visual worlds.
An exhibition with photographs by Thomas Kalak
A co-operation project with the Chair of Prehistory and Early History
at the Department of History of the University of Leipzig.
25.06.-28.07.2016
Foyer in the Neues Augusteum on the Augustusplatz campus
Augustusplatz 10, 04109 Leipzig
Archaeology through the eyes of photographer Thomas Kalak
When archaeology becomes the subject of a picture, this can be done with different objectives. Photographer Thomas Kalak offers a close-up view of archaeological work.
Archaeology and Photography
Students of the working group Archaeology and Photography in the B.A. and M.A. degree programme Archaeology of the Ancient World will present their findings on the following topics in a poster presentation:
- The history of photography in classical archaeology and in prehistory and early history
- The role of photography in the archaeological sciences: Preserving, generating and communicating knowledge
- Thomas Kalak and his photography series ‘Archaeology’
Introduction
Gems are colourful precious stones decorated with miniature images and, alongside coins, are the smallest image carriers of antiquity. The trade fair, commercial and university city of Leipzig, which was characterised by citizens, merchants and scholars, has had an extensive collection of such stones since the 18th century. This so-called dactyl library is now housed in the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts. As the result of a fruitful co-operation between the museum and the university, it is being presented here for the first time in a comprehensive form.
On the occasion of Leipzig's 1000th anniversary, students from the Institute of Classical Archaeology have scientifically analysed the cut gemstones and prepared them for the special exhibition. Based on the reuse of antique gems that began in the Middle Ages, the exhibition spans the arc from the precious stones of the city of Leipzig to their reproduction, manufacture and utilisation. The focus is not only on the antique objects themselves, but also on their perception, dissemination and exploration in the context of an art-loving citizenry.
For the citizens of Leipzig, the gems were and are not only beautiful ornaments, because their ability to provide an insight into numerous different areas of ancient life in a very small space makes them equally instructive treasures.
Co-operation partner
GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts Leipzig
Chair of Design and New Media in Art Education and the Department of Design and New Media at the Institute of Art Education at Leipzig University.
Students from the Institute of Art Education designed important parts of the exhibition as part of the modules ‘Artistic work with modern media’ and ‘Media education and extracurricular art education’ under the supervision of Prof Andreas Wendt, Dr Roland Meinel and Dr Jörn Lang. They created interactive museum guides for children and adults and developed the graphic appearance of the exhibition, a museum education programme for children and pupils to obtain a ‘Gem certificate’ and a website. On the website. you will find pictures of the exhibition and the film ‘GEMMEN. From stone to cast’, which shows the individual steps in the production of replicas.
Lender
- Egyptian Museum - Georg Steindorff - of the University of Leipzig
- Robertinum Archaeological Museum of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
- Archaeological Collection at the Heinrich Schliemann Institute of the University of Rostock
- Gerhard Schmidt (gemstone engraver) Idar-Oberstein
- GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts Leipzig
- Martin von Wagner Museum of the University of Würzburg
- Mineralogical-Petrographic Collection of the University of Leipzig
- Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig
- Roman-Germanic Central Museum Mainz
- Saxon State Archives Dresden
- Leipzig City Archives
- Quedlinburg Municipal Museums/ Castle Museum
- State Museums of Prussian Cultural Heritage Berlin, Collection of Classical Antiquities
- Dresden State Art Collections, Sculpture Collection
- Leipzig University Library and special collections of the Bibliotheca Albertina
- Waldenburg Museum - Natural History Cabinet and City Museum
Sponsors and supporters
The exhibition and the exhibition catalogue were made possible by the financial support of the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung.
We would like to thank the Freundes- und Förderkreis des Antikenmuseums der Universität Leipzig e.V. for their kind support.
Artistic dialogues with the university collections
The results of an interdisciplinary teaching project between Leipzig University and the Academy of Visual Arts (HGB), which began in the summer semester of 2013, will be presented in two parallel exhibitions. It was initiated by the StiL sub-project Leipzig Collections Initiative (LSI) at the Faculty of History, Art and Oriental Studies.
Students from various disciplines at the HGB developed artistic dialogues with and about the objects in three teaching collections at Leipzig University. This was based on guided tours of the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Antiquities with its plaster cast collection and the Prehistory and Early History Collection, as well as events with lecturers and students from the participating institutions.
Together, they analysed the objects and collections or questioned the history and forms of presentation in the museum. They served as a source of inspiration and a basis for the students' work, whereby the works created in this context are open in terms of media.
The first results were presented in the HGB gallery from 12 December 2013 to 18 January 2014 as part of the 250th anniversary of the HGB. This will now be followed by artistic interventions in the Egyptian Museum and the Museum of Antiquities. The project will conclude with a joint publication.
The artists and their works
- Jakob Argauer: Introduction
- Aude Benhaïm: Draw me an urn
- Aude Benhaïm and Juliane Jäger: What do you do with the scrap?
- Samuel Bich: Vase psychosis
- Maike Denker: Two-sided subsumption (poster)
- Paula Gehrmann: As far as I remember
- Florian Hesselbarth: Technical commercial training part 1
- Julian Irlinger: May I interrupt you for a moment?
- Ondine Pannet: os sonio belostos tuen formosa
- Barbara Proschak: Loan
Exhibiting artists
Jakob Argauer
- born 1988 in Munich
- since 2010 studies at the HGB Leipzig
- since 2012 studies at the HGB Leipzig, class for photography and media, Prof. Joachim Brohm
Aude Benhaïm
- born 1986 in Reims, France
- 2009 Studied at the École régionale des beaux-arts de Rennes, France, Visual Communication (BA)
- 2009-2010 Guest student at the HGB Leipzig, Typography class, Prof. Günter Karl Bose and Photography class, Prof. Tina Bara
- 2010-2011 Studies at the École régionale des beaux-arts de Rennes, France, graphic design with a focus on book art and photography (MA)
- since 2011 studies at the HGB Leipzig, class for photography and moving image, Prof. Tina Bara
Samuel Bich
- born 1990 in Aalen
- since 2011 studies at the HGB Leipzig, class for painting with cross-media orientation, Prof. Ingo Meller
Maike Denker
- born 1982 in Münster
- 2004-2009 Studied at the University of Applied Sciences for Design in Münster (Diploma)
- since 2009 studies at the HGB in Leipzig, class for installation and space, Prof. Joachim Blank
- 2010-2013 Residencies and projects at the Royal Collage of Art in London, the École supérieure d'art de Brest, Kongelige Danske Kunstakedemi in Copenhagen.
Paula Gehrmann
- born 1982 in Berlin
- since 2008 studies at the HGB Leipzig
- since 2012 studies at the HGB Leipzig, class for photography and media, Prof. Joachim Brohm
Florian Hesselbarth
- born 1986 in Berlin
- since 2009 studies at the HGB Leipzig, Class for Fine Arts, Prof. Astrid Klein
Julian Irlinger
- 2011 BA in Art History FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg
- since 2011 Studies at the HGB Leipzig, Class for Fine Arts, Prof. Astrid Klein
Juliane Jäger
- born 1984 in Jena
- Studied art history and German language and literature at the University of Leipzig
- since 2008 studies at the HGB Leipzig, class for photography and media, Prof. Joachim Brohm
Ondine Pannet
- born 1987 in Épinay-sur-Seine (France)
- 2005-2007 Studied at the École Eugénie Cotton, Montreuil, France, Department of Graphic Design and Book Art (BTS)
- 2007-2009 Studies at the École Supérieure d'Art et de Design (ESAD), Amiens, France, specialising in graphic design (B.A.)
- since 2009 studies at the HGB Leipzig, class for typography and book art, Prof. Günter Karl Bose
Barbara Proschak
- born 1984 in Eggenfelden
- 2007-2011 Studies at the University of Applied Sciences for Design Bielefeld, Department of Photography and Media (B.A.)
- since 2012 studies at the HGB Leipzig, class for photography Prof. Tina Bara
June to December 2013
Introduction
As a warning sign and symbolic act, Landshut artist Richard Hillinger is sending his bronze statuette of Ai Weiwei on a journey to campaign for the protection of human rights and freedom of expression.
After stops at the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim, the Municipal Museums in Heilbronn, the State Museum of Ethnology in Munich and the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg, it was on display in the Study Hall of the Antikenmuseum at Leipzig University from June to December 2013.
Ara Pacis Augustae
Female figures and small children in a water-rich and fertile landscape, fruit, sprouting grain, poppy capsules and flowers, a resting cow and a grazing sheep symbolise the blessings of the Golden Age. In an artistically perfect form, the relief image of the peace altar of the Roman Emperor Augustus articulates the multi-layered self-image of the new state, in which the economy, culture and art flourished. However, the dogma of peace encompassing earth, sea and sky is ambivalent. Wealth, prosperity and freedom opened up to those who did not stand in the way of Augustus' political ambitions in the struggle for autocracy. Thousands of his opponents, including the politician Cicero and the poet Ovid, fell victim to expropriations, expulsions and massacres.