Neues Museum Nürnberg presents its 2026 programme highlights

NUREMBERG.— In 2026, the Neues Museum Nürnberg will present eleven special exhibitions, with literature and the book as a recurring theme.

Highlights include Alexandra Grant’s Ein Stern genügt, um an das Licht zu glauben (17 July–11 October), featuring large-scale text-based works created with eight authors whose writing connects to Nuremberg’s past and present. The year also features Hans Ticha’s first major West German retrospective (27 March–14 June), showcasing his critically independent paintings, ironic depictions of GDR life, and iconic children’s book illustrations. Mariana Castillo Deball’s Ella es la luna and she lights the darkness (6 February–30 August) transforms the 1524 'Nuremberg Map of Tenochtitlan' into a monumental textile façade installation. Literary themes continue across the programme with exhibitions on children’s books, photographic portraits of literary sites, and communal 'silent reading sessions'. You can find a chronological overview of the 2026 programme highlights below.

Testimony. Boris Lurie & jüdische Künstlerinnen aus New York
Until February 1, 2026

Testimony brings together works by Boris Lurie with those of Zoë Buckman, Fancy Feast and Marsha Pels. In sculpture, textile and video works, the three contemporary Jewish artists explore changing perspectives on Jewish identity, self-representation and femininity, opening a new, feminist dialogue with Lurie’s work. In collaboration with the Boris Lurie Art Foundation.

Mariana Castillo Deball: Ella es la luna and she lights the darkness
February 6–August 30, 2026
Opening: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Mariana Castillo Deball explores the role of objects in identity and historiography. At the centre of the exhibition is her engagement with the 'Nuremberg Map of Tenochtitlan' (1524), which she transforms into a large-scale textile installation for the museum façade.

Günther Förg: Im Flow
February 27, 2026–September 12, 2027
Opening: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Eight key paintings and a large-format photograph of the Bauhaus building demonstrate Günther Förg’s characteristic “flow”. Fields of colour, grid structures and floating compositions provide access to important groups of works from the artist’s later years.

Hans Ticha: Retrospektive
March 27–June 14, 2026
Opening: Thursday, March 26, 2026

The first comprehensive presentation of the painter in the western part of Germany shows Hans Ticha’s ironically fractured visual world, which addresses gestures and rituals of the GDR. His painting, oriented towards classical modernism, remains critical and independent even after reunification. In collaboration with Kunsthalle Rostock.

Alexandra Grant: Ein Stern genügt, um an das Licht zu glauben
July 17–October 11, 2026
Opening: Thursday, July 16, 2026

Alexandra Grant combines literary texts with large-scale text-based artworks. She collaborates with eight female authors, four of whom are connected to Nuremberg’s past and present. The exhibition demonstrates Grant’s approach to translating literature into visual language.

Elke Haarer: Le Rouge et le Noir
From September 25, 2026
Opening: Thursday, September 24, 2026

Nuremberg-based artist Elke Haarer develops a painterly intervention specifically for the six façade spaces. Her large-format canvases respond directly to the museum’s window elements and walls.

Danner-Preis-Ausstellung 2026
November 13, 2026–April 4, 2027
Opening: Thursday, November 12, 2026

The prestigious competition presents outstanding achievements in arts and crafts across numerous disciplines. A jury awards the prize, endowed with €20,000, and presents selected positions from Bavaria. In collaboration with the Danner Foundation.

Mein Balkan: Schenkung René Block
From November 27, 2026
Opening: Thursday, November 26, 2026

The exhibition honours René Block’s decades-long commitment to artists from south-eastern Europe. His collection includes works by, among others, Nevin Aladağ, Cengiz Çekil, Gulsün Karamustafa and Mangelos. The NMN presents a large ensemble from this generous donation for the first time.