The exhibition Sweeter than Honey – A Panorama of Written Art will take place at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich from 11. December to 12. April. The Written Art Collection is unique in its collection profile. For the first time, the Modern Art Collection in the Pinakothek der Moderne is devoting a comprehensive special exhibition to the works of scriptural and text-based art. Around 60 artistic positions invite visitors in a course on 1,200 square meters of exhibition space to discover the panorama of written art and to explore the interrelationship between writing and images in all their facets. The selection of works presents writing as an artistic medium and material from the mid-20th century to the present.
Image above: Adam Pendleton, Ohne Titel (WE ARE NOT), 2021–2022, Screen printing ink and black gesso on canvas, 304,8 × 594,4 cm. © Adam Pendleton. Photo: Andy Romer.
“Sweeter than Honey. A Panorama of Written Art” opens an exciting, socio-political dialogue between artists from a cross-cultural, global perspective. The exhibition title was inspired by the work “Knowledge Is Sweeter Than Honey (Arabic)” (2011) from the Mashrabiya series by the Egyptian-German artist Susan Hefuna. Honey is a fluid, cross-cultural element and symbol of the sweetness of knowledge and wisdom. At the same time, the title also represents that bitter words can become “sweeter than honey” through art and poetry. He thus illustrates the poetic power of art to convey knowledge in a sensual way.
The phenomenon of writing in images is explored in handwritten expression, calligraphy and typography. Starting from the Informel of the 1950s through conceptual art since the 1960s, the over 100 works presented demonstrate the continuity of the meaning of written art across generations and cultures up to the present day. Artists invent imaginative alphabets and abstract sign languages, write poems and calendar entries, quote from literature and political documents, and translate thoughts and conversations into sprayed, graphic, gestural or embroidered messages. The performativity of writing can be experienced in material and physical traces in painting and photography as well as in large-scale works.
“Sweeter than Honey. A Panorama of Written Art” is the most comprehensive presentation of the Written Art Collection to date and represents the highlight of the long-term cooperation with the Modern Art Collection in the Pinakothek der Moderne.
With works by Etel Adnan, Nasrollah Afjei, Maliheh Afnan, Khaled Al-Saai, Mounira Al Solh, Siah Armajani, Younes Baba-Ali, Willi Baumeister, Alighiero Boetti, Peter Brüning, Sophie Calle, Chen Danqing, Claudia Comte, Thierry De Cordier, Mohammad Ehsaei, Golnaz Fathi, Jilali Gharbaoui, Karl Otto Götz, Adolph Gottlieb, Katharina Grosse, Gu Wenda, Shilpa Gupta, Andreas Gursky, Hans Hartung, Susan Hefuna, Hans Hofmann, Jenny Holzer, Rebecca Horn, Dom Sylvester Houédard, Huang Rui, Yūichi Inoue, Alfredo Jaar, On Kawara, Franz Kline, Glenn Ligon, Nja Mahdaoui, Mark Manders, Brice Marden, André Masson, Hassan Massoudy, Georges Mathieu, Henri Michaux, Joan Mitchell, Shiryū Morita, Farhad Moshiri, Adam Pendleton, Qiu Zhijie, Walid Raad, Ed Ruscha, Kazuo Shiraga, Pierre Soulages, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Mark Tobey, Lawrence Weiner, Fritz Winter.
Talks and performances will take place throughout the exhibition. A multi-faceted mediation program is also offered. Details on this will follow shortly.
Curated by Madeleine Freund and Oliver Kase in collaboration with Thomas Kellein and Marie-Kathrin Krimphoff (Written Art Collection).
In memory of Thomas Kellein (1955–2025), who has been curator of the Written Art Collection since 2013.
WHEN?
Opening: 10. Dezember, 19.00 Uhr
Exhibition dates: 11. December 2025 until 12. April 2026
Opening hours:
Daily 10 am – 6 pm
Thursday 10 am – 8 pm
Monday closed
WHERE?
Pinakothek der Moderne | Sammlung Moderne Kunst
Halls 21-26
Barer Straße 40
80333 München
