Opening on October 24 at 5 p.m.

Just under 20 years ago, the Heidenheim Art Museum exhibited a representative selection of woodcuts from the collection of Ruth and Martin Wittmann. The occasion was the generous donation to the city of Heidenheim of the collection, which had been passionately built up over decades; at that time, a large portion of it found a new home in the art museum.

Following Martin Wittmann’s death in 2024, all of the works from the endowment have now been added to the museum’s collection in their entirety. This is reason enough to honor the dedication of this couple of collectors and philanthropists with an exhibition, showcasing both the highlights of their collection and works that have not yet been exhibited publicly.

Woodcuts by a total of 15 artists clearly illustrate the breadth of this time-honored medium: Expressive black-and-white contrasts stand alongside powerful color prints and experimental visual approaches, while representational and narrative motifs meet abstract compositions. The central figures in the collection—which comprises over 500 sheets and books—are HAP Grieshaber, who was the driving force behind the collection’s establishment, and Detlef Willand, a native of Heidenheim. What both have in common is an intensive exploration of mythology, the relationship between humans and their animal and plant environments, as well as the motif of the dance of death.

To convey the creative possibilities of the medium not only visually but also through touch, a massive collaborative woodcut will be created as part of the exhibition. Visitors of all ages can learn how a woodcut is created through public and private workshops and contribute to the collaborative artwork, which will actually be printed at the end of the exhibition.

With works by:
Rudolf Ackermann, HAP Grieshaber, Robert Hammerstiel, Doris Hoppe, Michael Hofmann, Per od Aarestad, Klaus Süss, Konrad Schmid, Ahlrich van Ohlen, Antje Wichtrey, Detlef Willand, Robert Würth, Peter Zaumseil, Uta Zaumseil, Dagmar Zemke