Since 2016, the Haus der Graphischen Sammlung has housed the collections of the Augustinermuseum and the Museum für Neue Kunst. The slender facade of the building, which blends harmoniously into the streetscape of Salzstrasse, conceals a modern structure that combines all the essential functional spaces under one roof, thus meeting the requirements of the fragile artefacts. In addition to the restoration workshop and the curators' offices, there are three storage rooms where 90,000 drawings, prints and photographs are kept at optimum humidity and temperature.
The museum not only conserves graphic works but also exhibits them. At the heart of the building, the Kleinodientreppe leads to the exhibition room, which is used by the Städtische Museen Freiburg for two or three cabinet exhibitions a year.
If a visitor is specifically interested in a particular item from the collections, they can make an appointment to have it displayed in a specially equipped room. Further information on the objects in the Digital Collection is available online.
Old Age! A Series of Prints Spanning Five Centuries
Haus der Graphischen Sammlung
26 April – 17 August 2025
Haus der Graphischen Sammlung, photo: Städtische Museen Freiburg
Wise, obstinate, frail – a host of very different notions about old people obtains. What is at the bottom of such a wide range of contrasting associations? Who or what is considered old and why? Since antiquity, positive and negative representations of the so-called twilight years have been the subject of debate in both art and philosophy. What emerges is the fact that age(ing) is wholly relative. Cultural background, gender and social status all play a significant role. In Europe, old or elderly men tend to be depicted as benevolent and experienced, whereas in the case of women, the focus is usually upon their aging or aged bodies.
Ranging from the early modern period to the twentieth century, the exhibition presents a series of prints featuring works by Albrecht Dürer, Hans Baldung Grien, Käthe Kollwitz and Pablo Picasso. Interactive, hands-on areas provide visitors with an opportunity to explore their individual aging processes and place social stereotypes under the microscope.
