At the Zoo: Artistic Perspectives of the 20th Century

© Hanover State Museum

Who will be on display?

The series kicks off with an exhibition that combines art and natural history. The focus is on works by the Impressionist Max Slevogt (1868–1932) and the photographer Candida Höfer (b. 1944). Both artists explore the zoo as a place where humans and animals meet, yet each creates a completely different visual world.

What will be shown?

While Slevogt captures the vitality of the animals in his paintings and drawings from the early 20th century and virtually dissolves the boundaries of their cages, Höfer’s photographs from the 1990s bring the enclosures, bars, and architectural structures to the forefront. This juxtaposition shows how differently a single motif can be interpreted and how much our perception depends on our perspective. 

© Candida Höfer

The artworks are complemented by selected taxidermy specimens from the museum’s natural history collection. This creates a fascinating dialogue between the observed, the exhibited, and the preserved animal. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the depiction of animals, the history of the zoo, and the question of how humans perceive and shape nature. 

What are the WechselWelten?

Visitors to the Landesmuseum Hannover are already familiar with the term “WechselWelten” from the ethnology exhibition space of the same name. This concept is now being adopted and expanded to encompass the entire museum. In the future, WechselWelten will serve as a format for smaller exhibitions and interventions that create space for interdisciplinary perspectives and unexpected encounters between the museum’s collections, external loans, and contemporary artistic practices. They invite visitors to rediscover collections and themes in unfamiliar contexts.