150 years Paula Modersohn-Becker

150 Years Paula Modersohn-Becker: Works in the permanent exhibition & events

The Kunsthalle Bremen is celebrating Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876–1907) on the 150th anniversary of her birth with a section of the collection exhibition. A total of 19 works are on display – familiar paintings that have long been an integral part of the collection presentation, but also rarely seen works that have been in depot for a long time. Among them are some prominent returnees: some of the paintings, such as the Self-Portrait before a Green Background with Blue Iris (c. 1905), were loaned to New York and Chicago in 2024/25 for the first Paula Modersohn-Becker exhibition in the USA.

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Stillleben mit Äpfeln und Bananen, 1905

Tempera auf Leinwand, 67 x 84 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

 

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self-Portrait before a Green Background with Blue Iris, 1900-1907

Öl auf Leinwand, 40,7 x 34,5 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen - Der Kunstverein in Bremen

 

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Young Girl with Yellow Flowers in a Glass, 1902

Oil on cardboard on wood, 52 x 53 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen - Der Kunstverein in Bremen

 

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Selbstbildnis mit Kette, um 1903

Öl auf Pappe, 38,5 x 25,5 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

 

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Stillleben mit Robbia-Putto, um 1905

Öl oder Tempera auf Leinwand, 50 x 75 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

 

Paula Modersohn-Becker, View from the Artist's Studio Window in Paris, 1900

Oil on cardboard, 48,7 x 37,3 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

 

Mensch, Puppe! plays „Paula. Selbst“

12 September 2026 (Premiere) until 20 June 2027 (in German)

Mensch, Puppe! Szene from Paula. Selbst, photo: Sascha Gross

With ‘Paula. Selbst’, the Bremer Figurentheater (Bremen Puppet Theatre) sets out to explore the life of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who chose to become a painter at a time when women were not expected to be independent artists. The production is an interdisciplinary, painterly and theatrical exploration, focusing on the artist’s numerous self-portraits.

Since 2011, ‘Mensch, Puppe!’ has been presenting puppet, visual and object theatre for adults and children.

‘Paula. Selbst’ is a co-production by ‘Mensch, Puppe!’ and the Kunsthalle Bremen, and is aimed at adults. Following ‘Hildegard von Bingen’ and ‘Irmgard Keun’, the Bremen Puppet Theatre presents ‘Paula. Selbst’ as the final instalment of a trilogy about strong female figures through the ages.

Performer: Jeannette Luft, Music & Live Drawings: Matthias Entrup
Director & Text: Philip Stemann, Stage: Sascha Gross
Dramaturgy: Dorit Schleissing
Puppet Construction: Mechtild Nienaber, Costumes: Sascha Gross & Jennifer Podehl
Project Manager: Hartwig Dingfelder, Kunsthalle Bremen
Special Guest: Otto Groote as Otto Modersohn

Upcoming Performance dates at the Kunsthalle Bremen:
•    Sun 4 Oct, 3 pm (German Reunification Day)
•    Tue 27 Oct, 7 pm
•    Sat 31 Oct, 5 pm
•    Sat 7 Nov, 5 pm
•    Sun 8 Nov, 3 pm
•    Tue 10 Nov, 7 pm
•    Sat 14 Nov, 5 pm
•    Sun 15 Nov, 3 pm
Dates 2027
•    Sat, 06.03., 3 pm
•    Sun, 07.03., 3 pm
•    Sat, 17.04., 3 pm
•    Sun, 18.04., 3 pm
•    Sat, 29.05., 3 pm
•    Sun, 30.05., 3 pm
•    Sat, 19.06., 3 pm
•    Sun, 20.06., 3 pm

Admission tickets (including entry to the Kunsthalle Bremen): € 30 standard, € 20 discount
Tickets are available from our Online Shop
or at the museum ticket desk.

Please note regarding performances starting at 5 pm: You can only visit the exhibition galleries before the performance begins. The museum closes after the performance has ended.

Would you like to find out more about Paula Modersohn-Becker, her life and her art? Join our public guided tour!
View the dates and book tickets in our Online Shop

Further exhibition projects and events marking the 150th anniversary of Paula Modersohn-Becker's birth can be found at:
paula150.de