Hermann Hesse – Ready to Set Out – Poet, Painter, Nobel Laureate

Presented by Kunsthalle Messmer (DE)

The online event will take place on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. and is free of charge. The presentation will be held in German.

The event will be recorded.

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With the exhibition “Hermann Hesse – Ready to Set Out – Poet, Painter, Nobel Laureate” (March 21–October 11, 2026), the Kunsthalle Messmer is dedicating an extraordinary exhibition to the world-famous poet and Nobel Prize laureate Hermann Hesse, showcasing a side of him that has been little known until now: as a painter.

Known for works such as Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, and The Glass Bead Game, Hesse used painting as a creative counterbalance to his writing and as a way to artistically process personal experiences and impressions. The exhibition brings together more than 130 works, including colorful watercolors and ink drawings, illustrated poems and letters, as well as rare typescripts and precious first editions.

In this webinar, you’ll gain fascinating insights into the interplay between Hesse’s literary and visual art. His works reflect a love of nature, a longing for harmony, and central themes such as new beginnings, renewal, and the search for one’s own identity.