Name: Dr. Karoline Künkler: Gerhard Richter's Birkenau Cycle and the Sonderkommando Photographs
Start: 2026-09-22T21:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-22T23:00:00+02:00
Location: Theatersaal

Gerhard Richter's »Birkenau« in the Reflection of Memory Culture

The lecture by Dr. Karoline Künkler in the theater hall of the Künstlerverein Malkasten in Düsseldorf introduces one of the most poignant works of contemporary art: Gerhard Richter's cycle »Birkenau (1–4)« from 2014 and the four Sonderkommando photographs from the summer of 1944, which are regarded as unique visual testimonies from the perspective of the victims.

An Artistic Experience between Painting, History, and Responsibility

The focus of the evening is not only on a work but also on a precise art-historical and memory-cultural examination of the piece. Künkler connects Richter's abstract painting with the historical photographs from Auschwitz-Birkenau and shows how a complex visual space arises between abstraction, blurriness, and witness. For art enthusiasts, this evening opens up a space that intimately connects aesthetic experience and historical reflection.

Why »Birkenau« Continues to Provoke and Touch Today

Gerhard Richter is among the most significant artists of German post-war art; his engagement with photography, memory, and painting has shaped his oeuvre for decades. The Birkenau cycle, created in 2014 and contextualized in important institutions such as the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stands for the tension between visibility and refusal of the image. The lecture sheds light on the controversies as well as the art-historical significance of the work and places it within Richter's historical oeuvre alongside the well-known blurry images.

Curation, Educational Mandate, and Spatial Effect in Malkasten

The Künstlerverein Malkasten brings this topic into a space that is itself shaped by art history. The theater hall in the Hentrichhaus provides a concentrated framework for lectures and cultural education with its stage, large glass fronts, and darkenable architecture. This atmosphere is ideal, especially for a work like »Birkenau«: quiet, attentive, open to discussion and interpretation. Here, a mere lecture evening does not occur, but a demanding dialogue about painting, document, memory, and interpretation emerges.

An Evening for Art Lovers Who Look Closely

Dr. Karoline Künkler is established as a freelance art scholar, author, and lecturer in cultural education. Her perspective combines expertise with clear communication. Therefore, the lecture promises not just information but a well-founded, atmospherically rich approach to a work that continues to raise questions about image ethics, historical responsibility, and museum presentation. Those interested in Gerhard Richter, contemporary art, and memory culture will find a rare opportunity for deep engagement here.

Conclusion: This lecture at Malkasten promises an intense evening between art history and contemporary debate. Anyone who wants to not only see but understand Richter's »Birkenau« should definitely experience this event live in Düsseldorf.