Queer Modernism

1900 to 1950

September 27, 2025 — Feburary 15, 2026

Tickets

  • Gemälde, das eine Gruppe von Menschen in bunter Kleidung zeigt, auf einem Jahrmarkt mit Luftballons und Karussellpferd im Hintergrund.
    Gluck, Bank Holiday Monday, c. 1937, Painting, oil on canvas, 23.7 × 18.7 cm‚ Private collection, courtesy of The Fine Art Society Ltd © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025

With "Queer Modernism. 1900 to 1950", the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen presents the first comprehensive exhibition in Europe dedicated to the significant contributions of queer artists to modernism. Featuring more than 130 works by thirty-four international artists – including paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, films, publications, and archival materials – the exhibition project focuses on the first half of the twentieth century. It tells an alternative history of modernism, one in which queer artists placed themes such as desire, gender, sexuality, and the politics of self-representation at the center of their work. It also traces stories of queer life in times of war and resistance. Including artists such as Claude Cahun, Hannah Höch, Jean Cocteau, Romaine Brooks, Marlow Moss or Richmond Barthé.

In recent years, the K20 collection has become more polyphonic, global, and experimental. With this unique exhibition, the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen opens up to new perspectives on modernism, giving visibility to positions that have received less attention.

  • Supported by

  • Logo der Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung
  • Media Partner

  • Logo der Zeitschrift Weltkunst.
  • Logo der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung
  • The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is supported by

Installation views

  • Queer Modernism, Installation view, K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Photo: Achim Kukulies
  • Queer Modernism, Installation view, K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Photo: Achim Kukulies
  • Queer Modernism, Installation view, K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Photo: Achim Kukulies
  • Queer Modernism, Installation view, K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Photo: Achim Kukulies
  • Queer Modernism, Installation view, K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Photo: Achim Kukulies
  • Queer Modernism, Installation view, K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Photo: Achim Kukulies
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Publication

Experimentation with alternative lifestyles is reflected in new visual languages, perspectives and a different aesthetic. “Modern utopias of the abolition of gender binarity,” “queer avant-gardes” and “the potential of queer interpretations of abstraction” are just some of the topics presented in the catalog. At the same time, it tells the story of queer life in a time of war, persecution and resistance.

German/English

336 pages

250 images

39,90 €

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Your Visit

Anfahrt
K20
Grabbeplatz 5
40213 Düsseldorf

Haltestelle:
Heinrich-Heine-Allee

Öffnungszeiten
Dienstag – Sonntag, Feiertag
11 – 18 Uhr

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