Reopening

Following extensive work, the “Welcome back!” day has finally arrived—on October 18, 2025, the Museum Villa Stuck will reopen its doors.

The building services have been upgraded, the façades and architectural sculptures shine in restored splendor, and the Historic Rooms will feature new furnishings, a new arrangement of the artwork, and new acquisitions. A newly constructed entrance will make it possible to access the museum barrier-free via the extended Artists' Garden. In order to continue to meet international standards for the protection of works of art, the air conditioning and alarm systems have been renewed and the fire protection equipment has been brought up to the latest technical standards. Further work, such as the restoration of the garden sculptures, the complete replanting of the artist's garden, the redesign of the museum foyer and the opening of the museum restaurant, will be carried out until spring 2026 as part of the second construction phase.

The new presentation of selected paintings by Franz von Stuck in the Historic Rooms includes rarely or never-before-seen works from the artist's early period, such as Fantastic Hunt (before 1890) and The Vision of St. Hubert (1890). Along with The Guardian of Paradise, with which Stuck rose to fame as a "shooting star" in the German art scene from 1889 onwards, these works mark the beginning of his career as a painter. New to the collection is the Portrait of a Woman from Mainz/Mrs. Fränkel, circa 1914, in its original frame designed by Franz von Stuck. It provides new insights into the sophisticated and sometimes experimental painting technique of Franz von Stuck, who is not only considered one of the leading artists of Symbolism in Germany, but also one of the innovators of his time in terms of painting technique.

But that's not all. The artist’s house, as a total work of art, will be reopening with contemporary works from the worlds of pop, performance and painting.

The exhibition Utopia. Chicks on Speed & Collaborators (October 18, 2025—March 1, 2026) takes a journey through almost thirty years of Chicks on Speed’s work. Chicks on Speed ​​is a queer feminist art-music collective founded in 1997 at the Münchner Akademie der Bildenden Künste by Alex Murray-Leslie (core member and current artistic director of the group, Professor of Digital Performance at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art) together with artists Melissa E. Logan and Kiki Moorse. From the outset, their art collective project functioned like a synthesizer: a comprehensive artwork that transcended genre boundaries through artistic research, activism, critical fashion design, textile design, DIY graphics, innovations in computer-aided shoe design, object instruments (self-made musical instruments), dance, pop music, performance, and StreamArt.

At the same time, Louise Giovanelli. A Song of Ascents (October 18, 2025—March 15, 2026) offers a glimpse into the work of one of the most promising British artists of her generation. The Museum Villa Stuck presents the artist’s first major solo exhibition in Germany. On view are ten new works alongside a representative selection of work from recent years. Giovanelli invites her audience to consider perception, knowledge, and the very mechanisms of representation in art. The frame, or stage itself, emerges as the true subject, a space where she explores the full drama of color, light, and texture. Her draped fabrics, created through countless translucent layers of color, are reminiscent of Renaissance paintings. Yet the material seems to dissolve theatrically in glittering highlights. Giovanelli applies this same technique to other subjects such as dresses and wigs, which appear at once meticulously rendered and highly artificial. In this way, her painting reflects on the artifice of art itself.

With Of Books and Libraries. A Project about Libraries and Book-Collecting (November 27, 2025—March 8, 2026) the Museum Villa Stuck presents its in-house specialized library to visitors for the first time. In the exhibition space, the books may be browsed and read during opening hours. Volumes are arranged in existing classifications—on shelves, in boxes, on tables, and on other furniture. Alongside thematic collections and works organized by artists or institutions, the library also reveals the disorder of a collection scarcely maintained yet steadily expanding. The project addresses the question of what is to become of the library in the future, exploring this matter within the institution together with the public. Visitors are invited to unpack and reposition volumes, inscribing individual systems of order and leaving recommendations on “reading tip” cards. Experts and researchers contribute through lectures and conversations, showing how books enter libraries, how ordering principles evolve, and how structures shape their social and cultural functions.

After the comprehensive renovation, with a focus on accessibility, the Museum Villa Stuck is introducing a newly designed Educational Program that emphasizes inclusion and cultural participation as core values. In addition to early childhood art education programs, there are programs available for people with experience of mental health issues, tours for people with dementia, as well as accessible formats such as tactile tours and tours in German Sign Language. The new inclusive museum choir and concerts round off the interdisciplinary program of the Museum Villa Stuck.