25 March to 28 June 2026
Michael Mathias Prechtl's Journey to the Netherlands
To mark the 100th birthday of the Nuremberg artist, the presentation in the Graphic Cabinet highlights Prechtl's artistic dialogue with Albrecht Dürer.
Michael Mathias Prechtl travelled to the Netherlands in 1970 in in anticipation of Albrecht Dürer's 500th birthday, inspired by Dürer's own journey in 1520/21. In contrast to Dürer, who travelled on his own by ship and horse-drawn carriage, Prechtl travelled mostly by car and was accompanied by a ZDF film team. Dürer was worried about the continued payment of his imperial annuity and travelled into the unknown in order to open up new markets for his art. Prechtl, on the other hand, was supported by a grant awarded by Roland Graf von Faber-Castell to mark the Dürer Year 1971.
The drawings created along the way, that today are kept in the collection oft he Albrecht-Dürer-Haus-Stiftung and the City of Nuremberg's Graphic Collection, are the centrepiece of an exhibition to mark Prechtl's 100th birthday. They take up motifs from Dürer's travel sketches, bring them into the present and in many cases playfully turn them on upside down. At the same time, they demonstrate Prechtl's very own technical virtuosity. This approach, which is simultaneously both lighthearted and sophisticated, can be seen in many of his other very popular works, making Prechtl an important figure in the reception of Dürer during his time. For Prechtl, Dürer's versatility was his main source of inspiration alongside Picasso.
The exhibition catalogue from that time concludes with the words: "Prechtl is still travelling with Dürer. The end of the journey and the destination remain uncertain." The current exhibition illustrates one stage of this shared journey.
You can find a digital guided tour of the temporary exhibition in our museum app.
Albrecht-Dürer-House App
From March 28 to June 28, the Kunstvilla Nürnberg is dedicating a cabinet exhibition to Prechtl's multifaceted portrait work, spanning two decades of his artistic activity and revealing his sensitivity to character and the spirit of the times.
Kunstvilla im KunstKulturQuartier
- Cost:
- Apart from the museum admission, no further costs are incurred.