History Tales. Fact and Fiction in History Painting

Welcome:
Martin F. Polaschek, Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research
Ingeborg Erhart, Vice-Rector for Art and Teaching

On the exhibition:
Sabine Folie, Director Art Collections /Curator

History Tales. Fact and Fiction in History Painting explores the representation of history in terms of identity and nation. How is the rise and fall of civilisations depicted? How is the hubris of humankind allegorised? And what sort of media transformations has the invention of photography and film brought about on the representations of myths, heroes, heroines, rulers and sovereigns as well as on pivotal historical events since the 19th century right through to the present day?

The exhibition examines history painting in the light of the Academy’s own historical collections – its Paintings Gallery, Graphic Collection, Plaster Cast Collection – and prominent loans from museums as well as of works by contemporary artists. The capacity of the history painting and its variations in the age of mass media to oscillate between fact and fiction and make historicity itself the subject matter of the image is examined from today’s perspective.