When is the exhibition Between Shapes | Helga Gebert open?

The GRIMMWELT Kassel is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. The building is closed on Mondays.

What is the admission fee for the special exhibition?

Admission for the special exhibition costs 5 euros for adults and 3 euros reduced. Families pay 12 euros.

Are there guided tours through the exhibition?

Yes, the GRIMMWELT offers public tours through the special exhibition. These last 60 minutes and cost 5 euros for adults or 3 euros reduced, in addition to the admission fee.

Is the exhibition suitable for children?

Yes, a riddle trail and interactive educational offerings make the exhibition accessible for children and families.

Where is the exhibition taking place?

The exhibition takes place at GRIMMWELT Kassel, Weinbergstraße 21, 34117 Kassel.

How long will the exhibition run?

The special exhibition is on view from June 12, 2026, to April 11, 2027.

Discover Helga Gebert's Fairy Tale Worlds: Art, Stories, and Fantastic Images in Kassel

Name: Between Shapes | Helga Gebert
Start: 2026-09-29T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2027-04-11T18:00:00+02:00
Location: GRIMMWELT Kassel

Between Shapes: Helga Gebert's Fairy Tale Worlds in the GRIMMWELT Kassel

The special exhibition BETWEEN SHAPES | HELGA GEBERT. Storytelling in Image and Word is dedicated to a prominent illustrator, painter, author, and translator of German children's and young adult literature. In the GRIMMWELT Kassel, image and word, traditional fairy tale motifs and personal stories meet in an exhibition that makes illustration visible as an independent art form.

Illustrations as Spaces of Storytelling

Helga Gebert's work unfolds an extraordinary diversity: delicate ink drawings, color-intensive watercolors, and detailed oil paintings lead into fantastic character worlds. Her illustrations for the children's and household tales of the Brothers Grimm, for stories from 1001 Nights, and for international fairy tale collections transform literary motifs into sensually experienceable image spaces. Each viewing of the work opens a new relationship between familiar stories and individual imagination.

An Artist Between Image, Language, and Culture

Helga Gebert, born in 1935 in Freiburg im Breisgau, studied painting at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Freiburg. She not only illustrated fairy tale books but also wrote her own texts and translated stories from several languages into German. Since the 1970s, she significantly shaped the children's and young adult book program of Beltz & Gelberg and was one of the important voices in renewing German-language children's literature.

Over 200 Works and Biographical Traces

The exhibition brings together over 200 works, including numerous previously unpublished pieces. The images are complemented by biographical traces, historical materials, and interactive stations. The curation by Hanna Krüger makes it visible how closely Gebert's life story, her political and social experiences, and her artistic practice are connected.

Learning to See Fairy Tales Anew

At the center is the question of how illustrations change the perception of a story. Body postures, facial expressions, colors, ornamental frames, and the composition of the image space give familiar characters new meanings. Thus, Cinderella, dragons, genies, and other fairy tale figures become open image signs that reveal cultural influences, hierarchies, and contemporary interpretations.

Cultural Education for Children and Adults

A riddle trail for children and supplementary educational offerings deepen the exhibition. The interactive design invites families to read images attentively and compare their own ideas with the exhibited fairy tale worlds. Guided tours through the special exhibition also open art-historical and narrative-theoretical perspectives on Helga Gebert's illustrations.

Conclusion: An Art Experience Between Fantasy and Reality

Between Shapes offers an aesthetic experience in which literature, painting, illustration, and cultural memory intertwine. The exhibition atmosphere of the GRIMMWELT makes it experienceable how stories live on through images and change from generation to generation. Art enthusiasts, families, and fairy tale lovers should not miss this rare rediscovery of Helga Gebert.