This was originally purchased by the founding director in 1989 with the intention of gradually building up a representative collection of 20th century graphic art. However, in view of the high prices for prints of the Classical Modern period and the desired scope, this concept quickly proved to be unfeasible. Under new museum management, the original concept was replaced by the systematic addition of motif-related prints by the artist to the already existing Picasso poster collection, which eventually gave rise to the well-known Heidenheim Picasso Collection, which has been on permanent display in the Hermann Voith Gallery since 2001. However, the Kunstmuseum’s membership in the Griffelkunstvereinigung, an exclusive club for the acquisition of contemporary original prints, made it possible to continue the original collection approach with less comprehensive ambition and a significantly lower budget. Over the past 25 years, it has thus been possible to build up an interesting collection of contemporary prints, part of which is now being presented to the public for the first time.

Under the title “From Ackermann to Stimpfig”, the Kunstmuseum Heidenheim is showing a representative selection of contemporary art etchings. The spectrum not only ranges, as the title suggests, from internationally renowned etchers such as Peter Ackermann, formerly a professor in Karlsruhe, to local artists such as Jürgen Stimpfig or Adolf Silberberger, but also includes artists of classical modernism such as Laszlo Moholy-Nagy or Rolf Nesch and stars of contemporary art such as Peter Kogler and Ayse Erkmen. The border areas of intaglio printing such as photogravure and material printing are also themes of this exhibition, which is rich in surprises and discoveries.