Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum

With the exhibition The Greatest Happiness of the Earth. Dürer, Rubens, Goya: Horses in Art, the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum is dedicating itself for the first time to a comprehensive exploration of the horse’s outstanding significance in art and cultural history. The exhibition coincides with two internationally significant equestrian events taking place in Aachen in 2026: the CHIO Aachen and the FEI World Championships (Fédération Équestre Internationale). These events provide an exceptional cultural framework and international visibility for the project. The exhibition traces the cultural and artistic significance of the horse from Antiquity to the Modern era. It demonstrates how profoundly horses have shaped human life across centuries: as prestigious companions of rulers and aristocrats, indispensable working animals in agriculture and transport, and as part of leisure culture. Through sculpture, painting, and graphic art, the horse is presented both in its positively connoted roles and critically examined as a symbol of suffering, violence, and extreme emotional states. The presentation follows a clear sustainability strategy. At its core are works from the museum’s own collection, whose potential in this thematic context has so far been only marginally explored. This approach allows for the visibility of a new collection focus while ensuring a resource-conscious handling of transport and loan requests. Selected loans from German, Belgian, and Dutch museums as well as private collections will meaningfully complement the works from the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum’s holdings. The exhibition deliberately sets thematic accents with strong regional connections. Equestrian statues—from Charlemagne to representations of Emperor Wilhelm—illustrate the political symbolism of the horse as an expression of power and authority. Depictions of agricultural horses, stables, and horse keeping reflect social realities and the animal’s deeply rooted role in everyday life. Looking at the Biedermeier period and the Gründerzeit, the exhibition recalls that Aachen was shaped not only by industrial production but also by bourgeois leisure culture and equestrian sport. The exhibition aims to appeal to a broad audience: not only the traditional art-historical museum public, but also people with a strong affinity for horses, families, children and young people, as well as visitors closely connected to equestrian sports in the region. The objective is to lower barriers and make a culturally demanding subject accessible and emotionally engaging through relatable perspectives. Curators Sarvenaz Ayooghi, Wibke Vera Birth Programme An extensive accompanying programme is planned for visitors of all ages, including guided tours, workshops, activity days, readings, theatre performances, and film screenings. A small booklet will accompany the exhibition.

The whole world in a cabinet Precursors of today's modern museums, cabinets of arts and curios ( Kunst- und Wunderkammer ) appeared among the nobility in the 16th century. They were followed later by collections of curios among the rising middle-class. The intention was to depict and record the universe and the order of things. The product of wealthy Aachen citizens' passion for collecting made by human hand Artificialia from faraway lands Exotica products of nature Naturalia scientific instruments Scientifica Corals and coconuts Made by human hand ( artificialia ), produced by nature ( naturalia ), from faraway lands ( exotica ) and scientific instruments ( scientifica ) – these were the four classification categories in which the cabinets of arts and curios were usually filled. They covered everything that was useful for the purpose of understanding the world. Their collections included minerals, preserved animals, seashells and snails' shells, antlers, ivory, amber and boxwood carvings, turning work, examples of goldsmith's and silversmith's art, combinations of abnormal, bizarre or particularly flawlessly formed natural growths (e.g. corals, tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl, antlers, coconuts, ostrich eggs etc.) with bases or mounts. But they also covered scientific measuring instruments, automata, products of glass art, initially also books. In a nutshell, everything that was rare or curious was a candidate, all the things which people in those days found unique, odd or fascinating. The prime objective was the acquisition of knowledge, but the pleasure involved in collecting, owning, inspecting and presenting these treasures also played an immense role.