Experiment Expressionism – Schiele Meets Nosferatu is an expansive, cross-genre exhibition dedicated to the many facets of Expressionism. Curated by Agnes Husslein-Arco, Rolf H. Johannsen, and Roland Fischer-Briand (Film), the exhibition takes as its starting point paintings from the Heidi Horten Collection, focusing in particular on German Expressionism with works by Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, and others. These are brought into dialogue with key figures of Austrian Expressionism, including Herbert Boeckl, Helene Funke, Oskar Kokoschka, Max Oppenheimer, Egon Schiele, Helene von Taussig, and many more.
Beyond the classical visual arts of painting and sculpture, the exhibition highlights silent film—then the new and arguably leading medium of the era. Through posters, film stills, and excerpts from classics such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu, as well as lesser-known masterpieces like Genuine and Destiny (“Der müde Tod”), the exhibition vividly illustrates the spirit of Expressionism across artistic disciplines.