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Der Butt im Garten im Sonnenschein

Forum for literature and fine arts

»A graphic artist who also writes is someone who does not change the ink.« Günter Grass


The Günter Grass-House on Lübeck's Glockengießerstraße 21 is a forum for literature and visual arts. The renowned Nobel laureate had his secretariat in this house, and he lived in the environs of the Hanseatic City until his death in April 2015. The historic group of buildings therefore provides the ideal location for presenting his creative work within an up-to-date museum set-up.

Günter Grass was not only a writer, but also a graphic artist, painter and sculptor. The main focus of the museum is the exploration and presentation of literature and visual arts as they come together in his works. For this purpose, it draws on a collection of over 1,400 pictorial works as well as numerous manuscripts.
The exhibition »Hitting the Imprecise With Precision« based on this collection continually provides new insights into the artist's creative process and shows the links between his literary world and his world of images. The exhibition also highlights aspects from the life and work of Günter Grass, some of them rare and memorable curiosities.

In a separate series of exhibitions, the museum attracts much attention with its presentation of other artists who have worked in more than one creative discipline. Among those artists with dual or even multiple talents who have been shown in the past at the museum are such diverse personalities as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Hermann Hesse, Gottfried Keller, Arno Schmidt, Ernst Barlach, Janosch, Robert Gernhardt, John Lennon, Markus Lüpertz or Cornelia Funke.

The pleasant courtyard and the pretty garden between the Günter Grass House and the Willy Brandt House invite visitors to linger.

© Akademie der Künste

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