The exhibition Death and the Devil is all about the fascination of horror. For the first time, a show highlights the legacy and continuation of artistic strategies of horror in the thematic chapters of fashion, music and film as well as contemporary art. A prologue visualises the origin and appeal of horror in the history of art and culture with top works from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century. The main part of the exhibition presents works from the last twenty years by artists such as Alexander McQueen, the Chapman Brothers, Billie Eilish, Lars von Trier, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Mary Sibande and many others. Death metal and the blood-filled trainers of MSCHF meet contributions by Andres Serrano and Eliza Douglas. They all trigger feelings of fear, disgust or discomfort with their works. In doing so, they formulate a canonised breaking of rules that transcends the boundaries of social conventions, gets under the skin and inspires the imagination. The spectrum of works on display ranges from classical painting and sculpture to elaborate installations.
Darmstadt is the exhibition's second stop after the Kunstpalast (14 September 2023 - 21 January 2024). It will then be on display at the Museum Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt from 13 July to 20 October 2024.
