Image series 47 / 2024: Superheroes

Fictional Characters with Superhuman Powers

17 November 2024 | By: Bettina Pfleging

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They are fascinating. They fight for justice always and everywhere. Stories about superheroes have been around for as long as people have been telling stories. Figures from Greek and Norse-Germanic mythology, with figures such as Hercules and Thor, have inspired modern superheroes and their world to this day. The stories about the legendary figures as we know them began in comics.
Over 1,200 exhibits in the exhibition illuminate the entire pop-cultural universe of superheroes and their adversaries and demonstrate the diversity of the genre in eleven themed areas. In addition to numerous comic books, original drawings, sculptures and action toys as well as film clips and media art installations are on display.

“Superheroes”
September 13 2024 – May 11 2025, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf

01

Hendrick Goltzius. Hercules and Telephos, 1592, 41,8 × 30,1 cm, Cleveland; The Cleveland Museum of Art

02

Hermann Ernst Freund. Thor Resting with his Hammer, 1828 – 1829, marmor, 71 × 51 × 77 cm, Copenhagen; Statens Museum for Kunst

03

Andy Warhol. Superman, Ausschnitt, 1960, Acryl und Pastell auf Leinwand; Imago, Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Institut für Kunst- und Bildgeschichte

04

Laurie Anderson. O superman, Pochette de disque, 1982, New York; Iconothèque, Université de Genève, Bibliothèque d’art et d’archéologie

05

Osamu Tezuka. Tetsuwan Atomu (Astro Boy), Ausschnitt, 1951 bis 1968; ArtICON, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Institut für Kunstpädagogik

06

Adam West im Film “Batman: The Movie. Batman hält die Welt in Atem”, 1966; ConedaKOR Frankfurt, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Kunstgeschichtliches Institut

07

Christa Dichgans. Häufung mit Batman, Ausschnitt, 1967, Kunstharz auf Leinwand, München; Diathek online, Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Kunstgeschichte, Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden

08

Terry Richardson. Batman and Robin, Ausschnitt, 1998; ArteMIS, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Kunsthistorisches Institut