LACE!
A dual exhibition

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, lace was much more than mere decoration: it was considered an expression of luxury, fashion consciousness, and social status—and was particularly impressive when used on collars. The exhibition highlights “collar fashion” on the basis of two important portrait collections: the Iconography of Anthony van Dyck (1591–1641) preserved in the Liberna Collection; and the collection of paintings and miniatures belonging to the publisher couple Frieda and Franz von Lipperheide, which is now housed in the Art Library of the National Museums in Berlin (Fashion Image Collection). Another focus is on the very rare collars and lace that have survived; their significance, beauty, and craft can be experienced through insights into the techniques of needlepoint and bobbin lace. 
Illustrative models, videos, and historical handicraft tools interact with contemporary lacework and Gertrud Riethmüller’s sound installation "Ein Kragen – im Tanz der Verflechtungen" (A Collar – In the Dance of Interconnections) (2022–23).