What is reality—and how is it created in images? The exhibition "Really?" at the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck explores how art has depicted, interpreted, and questioned reality over the centuries—from medieval spirituality to the modern struggle for authenticity.
In this era of AI and fake news, trust in the authenticity of images is dwindling. With historical paintings and sculptures, however, we often don't question what we see. The current exhibition at the Arp Museum shows how our perception of reality has changed over the centuries.
In medieval art, the focus is often on the figure—facial expressions and gestures make the unapproachable divine tangible. For example, the delicate physicality of a Mary with Child in ivory (c. 1300) conveys a spiritual closeness. Reality is portrayed quite differently in the 16th and 17th centuries: here, the seemingly real, deceptively authentic genre scenes and still lifes are more than they appear to be. They often have a deeper symbolic meaning that needs to be read and unraveled. Finally, with the realism of the 19th century, photography and painting compete for authenticity. Between devotion and everyday life, between ideal and observation, the exhibition tells how each era depicts its truth.
March 29 to September 6, 2026
