Wir wöllen frei sein!

500 years ago, something almost unbelievable happened: the peasants rebelled against the nobility and the corporative order. This "revolution of the common man" was brutally suppressed by the authorities - and yet it was the beginning of a change that would lead to a modern world.

When the peasants chanted Luther's postulate of the "freedom of a Christian man", they meant the abolition of serfdom and freedom from unjust tax burdens and reprisals. The slogan actually refers to salvation, which can only be achieved through faith. Luther did not have liberation from earthly hardships in mind, which is why he ultimately took a stand against the peasants.

The call for spiritual and secular freedom also echoes in the works of artists - and is widely disseminated, especially in the medium of printmaking. In this way, the new religious and political ideas reached the people and developed their impact. With often subtle pictorial wit, the artists pose the big questions of their time: Do we have free will? What is sin? What gives us salvation? Does our reason have our sensuality under control? And how can we find our bearings in a world in turmoil?

Masterful works from the Prints and Drawings Department by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Beham brothers, among others, show us that the desire for freedom and justice is timeless and must be constantly renegotiated.

Exhibition in the Graphik-Kabinett.