The exhibition “A Long-Distance Call: Scenes from the Weimar Republic” at the Lenbachhaus (May 12–September 27, 2026) presents the Weimar Republic through concrete scenes and artistic works as an era marked by contrasts between progress and crisis. It focuses on everyday moments, new ways of life, technological developments, and social tensions, offering a multifaceted view of the period and making its contradictory dynamics tangible.
Image Caption: Käte Hoch, Bildnis Dr. E. Müller-Kamp, 1929, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau München / Lenbachhaus Munich
The artist Käte Hoch depicts her friend Erich Müller-Kamp talking on the telephone at his desk. A long-distance call, Kurt Tucholsky advises, should be conducted as clearly as possible and without dialect; otherwise, the monitoring officials may not be able to follow the conversation. Hoch paints herself in the colors of the suffragettes, with a bob haircut. Young office workers also cut their hair short. They type quickly, chain smoke, and spend their evenings at the cinema or in dance halls. They love the Charleston and the shimmy, and listen to sentimental songs, swing, and jazz.
Irmgard Keun’s The Artificial Silk Girl dreams of slim silhouettes and shoes with lizard-skin caps. Ré Soupault develops a transformable dress that can be adapted from office wear to evening attire. In variety shows, gender roles become fluid, and monocles send signals. Brothels provide an established framework for sex work.
The economy is booming, often on credit, while parts of the population grow poorer not only during hyperinflation and the Great Depression. War invalids, female workers, the unemployed, and violet sellers shape the streets and stand in contrast to the so called Golden Twenties. Oskar Maria Graf distributes anti-fascist leaflets with a working group; in Schwabing, feminists, the Munich Anti-War Committee, and a local branch of the revolutionary artists’ association ASSO gather and work on a magazine. George Grosz portrays the rise of National Socialism and satirizes the Hitler salute.
The new theater of Helene Weigel and Bertolt Brecht longs for the force of boxing and experiments with dialogue that lands like a punch. In 1923, the first state-controlled radio broadcast in Germany is aired Max Radler paints a factory worker listening to the radio. In 1930, Tim Gidal photographs one of the first television broadcasts at the Deutsches Museum.
The exhibition focuses on concrete stories and tangible details rather than presenting sweeping theses about the Weimar era. In this way, it seeks to establish a connection to the lost possibilities of the Weimar Republic a long distance conversation.
With works by Käte Hoch, Heinrich Hoerle, Karl Hubbuch, Lotte Jacobi, Grethe Jürgens, Jeanne Mammen, Gabriele Münter, Christian Schad, August Sander, Rudolf Schlichter, and others. In cooperation with the Munich City Museum and with generous support from a private collection. Curated by Karin Althaus, Adrian Djukić, and Matthias Mühling.
WHEN?
Exhibition dates: Tuesday, 12. May until Sunday, 27. September 2026
WHERE?
Lenbachhaus
Luisenstraße 33
80333 München
 presents the Weimar Republic through concrete scenes and artistic works as an era marked by contrasts between progress and crisis. It focuses on everyday moments, new ways of life, technological developments, and social tensions, offering a multifaceted view of the period and making its contradictory dynamics tangible. Cultural news, art exhibitions + art events to discover.){kind=link}