Sinner or saint? Prostitute or devoted disciple? Shadowed by these questions for centuries, Mary Magdalene is now on trial once again on the walls of Frankfurt’s most prestigious museum—this time in a fair court.
Opening its doors on September 17, 2026, with the exhibition “Maria Magdalena. Sin. Pray. Love.”, the Städel Museum invites viewers to a major reckoning concerning both art history and women’s collective memory. On view through February 17, 2027, this comprehensive exhibition juxtaposes centuries of accumulated prejudices, paintings, and sculptures, posing the fundamental question: Who was this woman in reality?
An Unjust Reputation
In the New Testament, Mary Magdalene stands out as one of the most prominent figures surrounding Jesus. She is depicted as a wealthy, independent, and influential woman; she is among those who witnessed the Crucifixion, and indeed the very first to herald the Resurrection. Yet history assigned her a drastically different role. Medieval Church interpretations coded her as a sinful woman, an outcast pushed to the margins of society. For the next ten centuries, this reading was etched into the canvases of painters, the marble of sculptors, and the collective psyche of society.
The Städel Museum aims to make precisely this distortion visible. Over 100 works selected from the museum’s own collection join international paintings and sculptures on loan from the Louvre and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The result is a sweeping panorama of Mary Magdalene across different eras of Western art—and a silent yet striking document of how each period reshaped this woman.
Art as a Mirror
The works featured in the exhibition do not merely present religious iconography; they also reflect each era’s perception of women, social norms, and power dynamics. The penitent Magdalene rendered in the golden light of the Renaissance enters into a starkly dynamic dialogue with the bold Magdalene emerging from the liberated brush of the 21st century. This dialogue lays bare how the concept of “sinfulness” was deployed as an instrument of control.
Contemporary works featured in the exhibition also command attention. Spanish painter Nieves González’s 2025 canvas titled La sfida (Die Herausforderung / The Challenge) reframes the historical figure with modern self-assurance and resilience. Such contemporary interpretations ensure the exhibition feels less like a static art historical retrospective and more like an entryway into a pressing ongoing debate.
A Reason to Visit Frankfurt
The Städel Museum is already one of Europe’s most established art institutions. Housing a collection spanning 700 years of art, the museum regularly generates critical discourse through its exhibitions. Maria Magdalena. Sin. Pray. Love. stands as a profoundly meaningful destination not only for art lovers, but for anyone reflecting on history, religion, gender, and culture.
If you are planning a trip to Frankfurt this autumn or following Germany’s cultural agenda as an art writer, reserving a place for this exhibition on your calendar is highly recommended. It is bound to draw visitors from across European cities well into mid-December and beyond.
Final Word
Mary Magdalene lived centuries ago. Yet the narratives spun around her, the meanings attached to women, and the debates surrounding sin and liberation endure today. With this exhibition, the Städel reminds us of a crucial truth: to read a painting is, ultimately, to read the society that created it.
Maria Magdalena. Sin. Pray. Love. — Städel Museum Frankfurt, September 17, 2026 – February 17, 2027
