The richly decorated building complex was named the "Lipsius Building" after its creator, the architecture professor Constantin Lipsius. In addition to the art academy it also housed the exhibition hall of the Saxon Art Society. After its partial destruction in 1945, the exhibition hall remained unused for decades. Its reconstruction was completed in 2005. Traces of the destruction were left visible by the renovation measures, and form a striking contrast to the architecture.
With the re-opening of the exhibition hall, which is now managed by the Dresden State Art Collections, an impressive setting for art exhibitions was restored to the city. Numerous special exhibitions offer visitors an informative and diverse programme. The special purpose of the exhibition hall, however, is to serve as a place for the exploration of and reflection on contemporary art. For the current exhibition programme, see www.skd.museum.
All Power to the Imagination!
special exhibition from Feb. 25th to July 9th, 2023
Like hardly any other generation, the Czech avant-garde of the first decades of the 20th century illustrates what is possible when there are no limits to the imagination. Inspired by French isms, especially Surrealism, they created a visual language whose impact resonates to this day.
This extraordinary, internationally relevant epoch in Czech cultural history is characterised by a specific poetics linked to the indomitable power of imagination and an endless joy in discovery and experimentation. The exhibition "All Power to the imagination!" shows the works of its best-known representatives in dialogue with contemporary positions from the Czech Republic and invites visitors to enter their fantastic worlds.
As the grand finale of the "Czech Season", the show brings together works by around 51 artists from the 1910s to the present day. Characteristic of the Czech art milieu before the Second World War is a playful streak combined with (self-)critical detachment, humour and irony. A colourfulness of form and colour and an indispensable lyrical tone are striking. On display are classical genres such as painting, drawing and graphics as well as three-dimensional sculptures, sculptures and installations, textile and glass art and even video art and film projections.
With Zdeněk Pešánek's first kinetic sculptures, a monumental work by Magdaléna Jetelová or a light installation made of countless light bulbs by Krištof Kintera, classical-modern art and contemporary positions meet here in a spectacular way.
