A 100-Year Journey in Graphic Art: The “Flirt und Fantasie” Exhibition at Kunsthalle Bremen

Kunsthalle Bremen, which has left deep traces in the artistic fabric of Bremen, opens its doors to the enchanting world of graphic art until 1 March 2026. Titled “Flirt und Fantasie. Griffelkunst von Max Klinger bis Peter Doig,” this special exhibition celebrates the unique storytelling power of graphic arts. Series produced using a wide range of techniques—from etching needles to lithographic crayons, woodcuts to screenprints—take the viewer on an imaginative journey filled with open-ended stories, dreams, visions, and transformations.

At the heart of the exhibition stands Max Klinger (1857–1920), the genius of graphic art. The starting point of the show is Klinger’s world-famous 1881 graphic series “Ein Handschuh, Opus VI” (A Glove, Opus VI). Selected from Kunsthalle Bremen’s rich Klinger collection, these works serve as the spark that ignites the exhibition’s narrative. In his 1891 theoretical text “Malerei und Zeichnung” (Painting and Drawing), Klinger argued that graphic series were not merely a subordinate branch of painting, but an independent artistic form of expression in their own right—thereby revolutionizing the field.

This meaningful exhibition also pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of one of the world’s oldest graphic art societies: Hamburger Griffelkunst-Vereinigung e.V. Founded in 1925 by educator Johannes Böse in Hamburg-Langenhorn, the association took its name directly from Klinger’s writings. By combining the association’s century-long legacy with selected masterpieces from the Kunsthalle Bremen collection, the exhibition presents a broad spectrum stretching from historical figures such as Heinrich Vogeler and Wenzel Hablik to today’s international stars like Peter Doig and Anna Haifisch.

Highlighted Artists and Works in the Exhibition

Approximately 65 works are on display throughout the exhibition, revealing the timelessness and technical diversity of graphic art. Blending modern and contemporary perspectives, the selection features the following artists:

• Peter Doig: with the mysterious atmosphere of his Black Palms (2004) series.
• Anna Haifisch: with the colourful screenprint Oppenheimer Drive from her New Mexico Zeichnungen (New Mexico Drawings, 2023) series.
• Asana Fujikawa: with her emotionally profound 2024 engraving Unsicherheit (Uncertainty).
• Paul Nougé: with the surrealist photographs from his Subversion des Images (Subversion of Images, 2012) series.
• Emma Talbot: with her striking 2018 woodcut Dream.

Other Participants: Franz Burkhardt, Marcel van Eeden, Wenzel Hablik, Yves Netzhammer, Nedko Solakov, and Heinrich Vogeler.

This exhibition is an unmissable opportunity for anyone wishing to understand why graphic art is often described as “silent poetry.”