Cranach paintings return

In spring 2022, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar will present a major Cranach exhibition in the Renaissance Hall of the Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek (HAAB).

The exhibition will feature valuable Reformation-era works by Lucas Cranach the Elder, the Younger, and their shared workshop. The famous Weimar Luther Bible from 1534 will also be displayed for a short time under especially protective conditions. Cranach’s workshop was one of the most prolific in art history. It produced thousands of artworks – more than any previous artist. There was no medium that Cranach did not excel at, and each will be represented in the exhibition – paintings, graphic works, illustrated books and medals – an overwhelming and unprecedented torrent of images for Cranach’s contemporaries.

Today, Cranach’s legacy fascinates us more than ever and forges a connection to those who lived during the Reformation. How was public opinion shaped by images? How were pictures used to present someone in a better light, or to ridicule one’s enemies? And how was it possible to produce and distribute so many pictures in such a short time?