Really
Art and Reality 1400–1900

In times of AI and fake news, our trust in the truth of images is fading. But what about historical works of art? We rarely question what we see in them, even though they are often far more complex than we think. They convey hidden messages that we can barely perceive today. What was considered true in the Middle Ages and the Baroque era now often seems unreal – insights from science and a fundamentally different view of religious and spiritual ideas have transformed our perception.

Around 70 fascinating works – paintings, sculptures, miniatures, and photographs – illustrate how our understanding of reality has changed over five centuries. In the Middle Ages and Baroque period, faith was tangible and real. Sculptures of saints made their healing power and the divine visible, allowing believers to experience faith physically and directly, to the point where people were convinced of their real healing force. In the 16th and 17th centuries, seemingly realistic genre scenes and still lifes were highly popular. Yet, they often contained deeper symbolic meanings waiting to be interpreted and unlocked. Finally, with the realism of the 19th century, photography and painting began to compete for authenticity. Between devotion and everyday life, between ideal and observation, the exhibition reveals how each era has portrayed its own concept of truth.