When is the exhibition running?

The exhibition runs from May 23, 2026, to October 4, 2026, at the Edwin Scharff Museum in Neu-Ulm.

How much is the admission?

The regular admission is €6. Admission is free on Wednesdays.

Are there guided tours or accompanying programs?

Yes. There are art historical tours, literary guides, and workshops related to the exhibition. Registration is usually required.

Is the museum barrier-free?

Yes. The museum is accessible through the main entrance without barriers, all floors are reachable by elevator, and there are wheelchair and walker rentals.

How do I get to the museum?

The Edwin Scharff Museum is located at Petrusplatz 4 in Neu-Ulm, near the train station and city center. You can take public transportation to Petrusplatz or Schützenstraße.

Can you take photos in the museum?

There are no binding indications in the provided information. Please inquire at the cash desk on site.

Ernst Barlach. Facets of Love

Name: Ernst Barlach. Facets of Love
Start: 2026-05-23T02:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-05T01:59:59+02:00
Location: Edwin Scharff Museum / Kunstmuseum

Ernst Barlach at the Edwin Scharff Museum: An exhibition about the many faces of love

With Ernst Barlach. Facets of Love, the Edwin Scharff Museum in Neu-Ulm opens a compelling art experience that focuses on one of the most significant sculptors, draftsmen, and authors of modernity. The special exhibition presents love not as a decorative motif but as an existential force between longing, closeness, maternal love, temptation, and loss.

A work between tenderness and tension

Barlach understood love as a fundamental human emotion far beyond the classical image of a couple. The exhibition gathers selected sculptures, lithographs, and drawings, including The Lovers and The Matchmaker II, making visible how consistently the artist translated feelings into form. Patinated bronze, plaster, clear contours, and condensed postures create a quiet yet intense spatial effect.

Poetic texts and art historical contexts

Especially appealing is the curatorial decision to accompany the exhibits with poetic texts. This creates an aesthetic experience in which the contemplation of the works and language reflect each other. Complementary juxtapositions with works by Edwin Scharff open art historical perspectives on modern sculpture and on the question of how two contemporaries translated human closeness into different formal solutions.

Barlach as an observer of humanity

The exhibition relies on a dense, concentrated atmosphere. Barlach appears as an artist who did not sentimentalize empathy but transformed it into a strong language of form. His works speak of inner tension, vulnerability, and that spiritual depth that makes his art so attractive even today. Particularly in the interplay of sculpture and graphics, a precise cultural education unfolds that appeals both to art enthusiasts and to a broad museum audience.

Education, tours, and workshops

In conjunction, the museum offers art historical tours, literary guides, and workshops. Thus, the special exhibition is not only viewed but also experienced in-depth. The offerings make access to Barlach's work low-threshold, visual, and dialogic. Those looking for the connection between image art, literature, and modern sculpture will find a particularly inspiring approach here.

The museum as a place for art enjoyment and discovery

The Edwin Scharff Museum is centrally located at Petrusplatz and is easily accessible by both train and bus. The building is barrier-free, equipped with an elevator, wheelchair rentals, and a walker rental, as well as an inclusive museum café. This ensures that the visit itself becomes a thoroughly pleasant museum experience, combining art, stay, and orientation.

Conclusion: This exhibition opens a concentrated, poetic view of Ernst Barlach and the visual language of modernity. Anyone wanting to discover love in all its diversity should definitely experience the show in Neu-Ulm live.