Prinzhorn Collection at 25: Director Thomas Röske on Moving Beyond 'Mad Art'

The Prinzhorn Collection in Heidelberg, Germany, celebrates its 25th anniversary with an exhibition that challenges conventional approaches to displaying works by psychiatric patients. Director Thomas Röske argues that simply presenting these works as art within the white cube risks domesticating them. Instead, the exhibition seeks to restore physical presence and context, reconstructing lost works such as Katerina Detzel's life-sized doll and Marie Lieb's floor piece from photographs. Röske emphasizes that the term 'art' is ideologically loaded and excludes many works in the collection, which were not made for the art market. He criticizes the notion of a neutral gaze, stating that every display mode carries cultural, aesthetic, and political positions. The exhibition also features works by Else Blankenhorn, Emma Mohr, and August Natterer, the latter being presented as a proto-surrealist. Röske now believes these works no longer need validation from modern artists like Klee or Baselitz. The show runs from June 28, 2026, to January 31, 2027, at the Prinzhorn Collection, Voßstraße 2, Heidelberg.