Adalbert Trillhaas

From September 5 to October 17, 2026, the Zander Collection will present an exhibition dedicated to Adalbert Trillhaase, showcasing the human figure as the center of his artistic vision: in portraits, in narrative compositions, and in dynamic relationships with the environment. At the opening on September 4, a work will be unveiled that defies conventional categorization and, precisely because of this, generates intellectual friction. Trillhaase did not begin painting until he was 60 years old; he was closely associated with the “Young Rhineland” movement and developed a visual language that broke with academic conventions. His figures appear individual, present, and often expressively exaggerated. Spaces dissolve; gestures intensify meaning. The exhibition, curated by Lisa Arndt and Mathis Henne, situates Trillhaase’s works between Rhenish Expressionism, surrealist impulses, and the later problematic classification as so-called “naive art.” The political turning point is not overlooked either: in 1933, his works were denounced as “degenerate,” and one of his pieces was confiscated and destroyed.