22 September 2025

Highlights from the New Leipzig School collection in the Drents Museum

From November 15th, the Drents Museum will be dedicated to artists from Leipzig. Leipzig is the hotspot for contemporary figurative art.

Countless artists work there in the tradition of the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, where figuration and craftsmanship are central. The exhibition "Hotspot Leipzig – Highlights from the Collection" shows how the newest generation, the Neue Leipziger Schule (New Leipzig School), continues and innovates this tradition. Their works are based on visible reality, but often contain surprising, imaginative elements that encourage attentive viewing.

The retrospective exhibition, opening in November, features works all from the Drents Museum's own collection. The Neue Leipziger Schule subcollection currently consists of approximately 80 paintings, works on paper, and sculptures, including "Das Dreibein" (The Three-Bearer) by German artist Neo Rauch (1960), recently acquired with support from NAM. Rauch is considered by many to be the figurehead of the Neue Leipziger Schule.

In addition to Rauch's paintings, Hotspot Leipzig features works by Tilo Baumgärtel, Laura Eckert, Henriette Grahnert, Aris Kalaizis, Corinne von Lebusa, Rosa Loy, Malte Masemann, Johannes Rochhausen, Christoph Ruckhäberle, David Schnell, Kristina Schuldt, Robert Seidel, Mirjam Völker, Undine Bandelinen, and Matthias Weischer. Behind every work lies a story: personal, historical, or simply imaginative.