With her appointment as artistic and scientific director, Verena Kaspar-Eisert will be setting a new course for the Heidi Horten Collection from 2026 onwards, presenting a program that closely links the collection, research, and education. "The Heidi Horten Collection should be a place that awakens curiosity, inspires a desire to see and experience, and allows visitors to share the joy of engaging with art," says Kaspar-Eisert. The exhibition practice is based on a contemporary reinterpretation of the collection: historical works are reinterpreted from a modern perspective and placed in dialogue with the positions of contemporary artists. There is a particular focus on making female voices visible and on responsible collection work that takes provenance, historical contexts, and institutional responsibility into account.

The exhibition "ANIMALIA. Of Animals and Humans" marks the beginning of this new direction. It examines the complex relationship between humans and animals through more than 100 works from the 20th and 21st centuries and takes a critical look at power, projection, and social structures. The starting point is the term Animalia, which comes from biology and was coined by naturalist Carl von Linné. Originally, it encompassed both humans and animals equally. The exhibition contrasts this equality with the real hierarchy that humans assume over animals: humans elevate themselves above the animal world as the supposed pinnacle of evolution and assign various roles to animals. The artistic representations not only reflect the attributions of humans, but also reveal insights into self-image, cultural values, and social dynamics.

François-Xavier Lalanne, Singe Avisé (très grand), 2005/2008 © Heidi Horten Collection, © Bildrecht, Vienna, 2026

From humanization to instrumentalization to exploitation of animals, the works show the many facets of the relationship between humans and animals. At the same time, "ANIMALIA" explores a thought experiment: thinking of animals as fellow creatures and co-actors, not just as objects of human projection, and reflecting on a shared life from a broader perspective.
The exhibition brings together historical and contemporary positions of international artists: Karel Appel, Georg Baselitz, Cosima von Bonin, Marc Chagall, Damien Hirst, Helene Funke, François-Xavier Lalanne, Maria Lassnig, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and many others shape the multifaceted picture. Sculpture, painting, installation, photography, and media art come together in a space covering around 1,500 square meters, opening up new perspectives on the tension between humans and animals.
"ANIMALIA" invites visitors to question their usual viewing habits, to engage with ethical and historical dimensions, and to rediscover the joy of observing artistic forms of expression. The exhibition proves that art is not only a reflection of social conditions, but also a commentary on them – and that encounters with animals always involve an examination of ourselves.
March 27 to August 30, 2026
https://hortencollection.com