Carl Grossberg

Carl Grossberg, Selbstbildnis, 1928 Privatsammlung

Objective – magical – visionary

March 22, 2026 - August 30, 2026

The exhibition at the Von der Heydt Museum celebrates the rediscovery of one of the outstanding painters of New Objectivity: Carl Grossberg (1894-1940). His extensive oeuvre, which was created in a period of just under 20 years, is almost exclusively dedicated to the themes of architecture and industry. With its formal clarity and rigour, it is an expression of a new, photographic way of seeing and reflects the technical progress of the first third of the 20th century. The reduced compositions encourage us to critically scrutinise industrial progress and its effects on people.

The exhibition, the first retrospective in over 30 years, takes a comprehensive new look at Carl Grossberg's oeuvre and presents a series of previously unknown works. It shows how topical Grossberg's works are, both artistically and socially. In particular, the ambiguously legible ‘dream pictures’, unique in the art of the 1920s and 1930s, show him to be a highly sensitive intellectual. Grossberg's art conjures up the magic of things, visualising the complexity of the modern world and its internal contradictions. Parallels to today arise from the structural change currently taking place with as yet unforeseeable social consequences, for which convincing visual forms are currently being negotiated.

Carl Grossberg's choice of motifs and the sobriety of his painting are inextricably linked to the photography that emerged at the same time. And for their part, they have inspired pioneering photographers of subsequent generations. Exemplary selected positions from August Sander to Bernd and Hilla Becher to Thomas Ruff make this clear. Today, however, Grossberg's images encounter a fundamentally different approach to media images, which are produced in rapid succession, constantly fed into digital networks and subjected to multiple manipulations until they can almost become ‘dream images’.

The Von der Heydt-Museum is realising the exhibition "Carl Grossberg. Objective - Magical - Visionary" in cooperation with the Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg (MiK). Both museums are closely linked to the artist's biography: He was born in Elberfeld, which is now part of Wuppertal, and lived in Sommerhausen, south of Würzburg, from 1921. Accordingly, he is well represented in the collections of both museums.

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Funded by

Parking

Parking garages in the surrounding area

Parking garage	Opening Hours
Fleming’s Express	Mon to Sun	Open 24 hours
	Tue to Sun	07:30 a.m. – 01:30 p.m.
Karlsplatz	Mon to Sun	06:00 a.m. – 23:00 p.m.
CityArkaden	Mon to Sat	07:30 a.m. – 20:30 p.m.
	Sun	12:00 a.m. – 18:00 p.m.
Neumarkt	Mon to Sat	06:30 a.m. – 23:30 p.m.
	Sou	08:30 a.m. – 20:30 p.m.
St Josef / Bergstraße	Mon to Sun	07:00 a.m. – 23:00 p.m.
Ohligsmühle / Vapiano	Mon to Sun	06:00 a.m. – 23:00 p.m.
Galeria Kaufhof Neumarkstraße	Mon to Fri	09:30 a.m. – 20:30 p.m.
	Sat	09:30 a.m. – 19:00 p.m.
	Sun	closed
Hofaue City	Mon to Sat	06:00 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.
	Sun	Geschlossen
Teijin	Mon to Sun	Open 24 hours
Kleine Klotzbahn	Mon to Sun	Open 24 hours
Hautpbahnhof	Mon to Sun	Open 24 hours

Parking facilities for the severely disabled

In the Parking Garage City-Arkaden you can find sufficient parking spaces for the severely disabled are available.
Also in the Parking Garage Rathhaus-Galerie
There are 2 parking places on Wall. Due to the traffic regulations as a pedestrian zone, these can only be approached within the loading times: in the morning until 11 a.m. and in the evening after 6 p.m.
Here you can find a list with the designated parking spaces in the city center (pdf-Download).
Here you can find a list for Wuppertal.

Coaches

To get on and off the bus, please use the stop in Südstraße

Parking spaces

School Bus stop Stadthalle (Bahnhofstraße), Mon to Fri after 2 p.m., Sat, Sun and holidays. You can also park here during school holidays
Böttinger Weg (at the zoo)

PLEASE OBSERVE OUR HOUSE RULES

VON dER HEYDT MUSEUM

We are delighted to welcome you to the Von der Heydt Museum and hope you enjoy your visit. The house rules are binding for both visitors and all employees of the Von der Heydt Museum. By entering the museum building, you agree to comply with our house rules and all other regulations designed to maintain operational safety.

Admission and guided tours

An admission fee is charged for visiting the Von der Heydt Museum.
Please refer to the information board at the ticket office or our website for the
respective admission and tour fees, or ask our ticket office staff.
Admission to our collection is free on the first Thursday of the month from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
You will receive paper wristbands at the ticket office as proof of admission. These must
be worn on the wrist and are attached at your own risk; no liability is accepted.
Admission to the exhibition rooms will not be granted without a wristband.
If you have booked a guided tour, please arrive at the meeting point in good time. Tours
must start on time and unfortunately cannot be extended.

Cloakroom

The cloakroom is supervised and free of charge for our visitors.
Bags and backpacks, regardless of their size, walking sticks, umbrellas, jackets, and
coats must be left at the cloakroom or stored in one of the lockers.
Bags that must be carried for health reasons will be checked by the supervisory
staff and marked with a ribbon.
Due to space limitations, suitcases can only be stored for a limited time and only in
conjunction with an admission wristband for the duration of the museum visit.

Exhibition

Please maintain a minimum distance of 50 cm from the artwork. Touching exhibits is
not permitted.
In the event of damage to exhibits, the supervisory staff is authorized to record the
personal details of the person responsible.
Legal guardians and accompanying persons of children’s and youth groups are
responsible for their appropriate behavior. Running, romping around, and throwing
toys is not permitted.
No liquids or food may be brought into or consumed in the exhibition rooms. Please
use the ground floor for feeding babies and small children.
Smoking is prohibited throughout the building.
Portable folding seats are available free of charge. You will find them on the ground
floor. Please return the stools there at the end of your visit.

Photography and cell phone use

Photography and filming are generally permitted in the museum’s own collection, but
only for private purposes and without flash. Commercial use of the image material is
prohibited. The copyrights to the artworks belong to the respective artist or their legal
successors. As a rule, these are enforced against third parties by VG Bild/Kunst Bonn.
Regardless of this, any use beyond private use also requires the express permission of
the Von der Heydt Museum. Telephone inquiries: 0202/563-2471.
Selfie sticks or tripods are not permitted.
Photography permits for special exhibitions are granted on a case-by-case basis.
The museum rooms may not be used as a photo location, e.g., for wedding photos or
similar.
Out of consideration for other visitors: Please switch your phone to silent
mode and only make calls in the entrance area, not in the exhibition.

General

The museum area is monitored by video surveillance for security reasons.
During special exhibitions, there may be waiting times to enter the exhibition rooms
when visitor numbers are high (this does not apply to booked guided tours).
For safety reasons, stairways, escape routes, and passageways must be kept clear.
In the event of a theft alarm, management is authorized to close all exits and carry
out identity checks.

The von der Heydt Museum is wheelchair accessible.

Visitors with walking disabilities should report to the wheelchair door to the left of the
main entrance. Elevators and two wheelchairs are available for loan in the building.
Advance registration for wheelchair rental is recommended to ensure that a wheelchair
is available at the desired time. Please make reservations by calling 0202/ 563-6231. The
disabled toilet is located on the first floor.
Strollers are of course permitted in the exhibition. Access with strollers is also possible
via the wheelchair entrance.

Carl Grossberg

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