Self in the Picture.
Elvira Bach's Images of Women
An exhibition for all who love powerful images.
Elvira Bach is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary German art. Her images of women dance, dream, seduce, and always gaze back provocatively. With her very own visual and symbolic language, she creates characters that are always recognizable. In the exhibition "Self in the Picture," the NKT presents a selection of her most powerful works—from large-format acrylic paintings to glass works. She plays with contrasts, appropriates classical symbols of women, and stages them anew. She tells stories of female self-assertion and unfolds a special expressive power through her striking radiant colors and their deliberate use. The exhibition raises the question of where the boundary between artist and work lies. Has Elvira Bach herself become part of her own visual world over time?
31.05. - 05.07.2026
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday 10 AM - 5 PM
Closed on Mondays
About Elvira
Born in the quiet Taunus mountains and surrounded by strawberry fields, she moved to the rebellious, optimistic Berlin of the 1970s for her studies. There she became an icon of the "Junge Wilde" (Young Wild Ones) art movement, characterized by bold colors and expressive visual language. Her story is as distinctive as her art.
Guided Tours
Seeing is one thing. Understanding is another. Our guided tours open up Elvira Bach's visual world. For individual visitors, groups, and all who prefer to experience art rather than consume it.
Highlight
High-heeled shoes, snakes, strawberries—Elvira Bach's women wear their symbols like armor. An exhibition about female power unlike anything seen before.
Self in the Picture. Elvira Bach’s Images of Women presents from May 31 to July 5, 2026, the powerful work of one of the most significant contemporary German painters. Around 40 works including paintings, prints, sculptures, and Murano glass objects unfold a universe of strong female figures that has lost none of its energy over four decades.
Elvira Bach became famous with the Young Wild Ones, appeared at documenta in 1982, and painted women the way women want to see themselves: broad-shouldered, self-confident, full of symbols. High-heeled shoes, snakes, strawberries, cross, heart, and anchor. Every motif tells a story. The exhibition follows these signs throughout her entire body of work and reveals what lies behind them.
Tickets are available directly online, the audio guide accompanies visitors through all twelve thematic stations, and originals and editions are available in the online shop and on-site. A visit for all who want not only to view painting but to experience it.