Let yourself be deceived!

Deception is more than just trompe-l'œil: deceptively real painting has been known and discussed since antiquity. It experienced its heyday in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. But it is not only the illusion of the eye, but also self-deception, dream worlds, architectural spatial illusions and motifs of concealment with curtains and masks that have been part of European culture and art for centuries. The Hamburger Kunsthalle is presenting a major exhibition on this theme with around 150 works of art from its own collection and national and international loans. The exhibits are accompanied by theoretical writings on illusion in all its facets, for example by Leon Battista Alberti, Friedrich Nietzsche, Theodor W. Adorno and André Breton. Illusion. Dream – Identity – Reality runs from December 06, 2024 to April 06, 2025.

The journey through the centuries offers interesting philosophical insights into past eras and, in this context, the significance of art. In addition to paintings, the show also includes drawings, prints, photographs, sculptures, installations and video works. The numerous artists on display include Helene Appel, Max Beckmann, Marc Chagall, James Ensor, Nan Goldin, Lorenzo Lippi, René Magritte, Hans Memling, Gerhard Richter, Cindy Sherman and John William Waterhouse.