Aachen's Three Exhibitions Celebrate the Horse in Art and Sport for the World Equestrian Games

Aachen, a city deeply tied to equestrian tradition and Charlemagne, is hosting three exhibitions on the horse in art and sport, coinciding with the FEI World Equestrian Games from August 11 to 23. The main show, 'Das Glück dieser Erde. Dürer, Rubens, Goya: Pferde in der Kunst' at the Suermondt Ludwig Museum, features over 130 works including prints, paintings, and sculptures from antiquity to the present. Highlights include a newly loaned Max Liebermann painting, 'Le Cavalier sur la plage' (1904), exhibited for the first time in Germany, and contemporary pieces by Marcel Walldorf and Berlinde De Bruyckere. The exhibition is thematically organized rather than chronological, exploring the horse as a symbol of power, vulnerability, and companionship. The Centre Charlemagne presents a photographic history of the CHIO, the traditional tournament celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, with archival images of legends like Hans Günter Winkler and Isabell Werth. The Ludwig Forum contributes a film installation, 'Centaur – Mensch und Pferd', by Yalda Afsah and the duo Halter & Marchisella, examining human-horse relationships. The exhibitions reflect Aachen's legendary founding myth involving Charlemagne's horse discovering thermal springs, and the Suermondt family's dual legacy in art and horse breeding.