When can the exhibition S.O.S. – Save our souls be seen?

The exhibition runs from October 20, 2026, to April 4, 2027, at the Diocesan Museum of Freising.

What are the opening hours?

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays, during the exhibition, the opening hours are extended until 8 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays.

What is the admission price?

The regular admission price is 8 Euros.

Which artists are represented in the exhibition?

The highlighted artists include Carlo Crivelli and Lorenzo Lotto. Additionally, other significant works from the Late Gothic and Renaissance are displayed.

Is the Diocesan Museum accessible for people with disabilities?

The museum is accessible without steps or via elevators. The Dombergbahn also provides a barrier-free connection from downtown Freising.

Is there a special mediation for the exhibition?

Yes, a podcast tour with ten short conversations examines the works from a psychotherapeutic and cultural-historical perspective.

Saved Masterpieces Tell of Catastrophe, Hope, and Cultural Identity

Name: S.O.S. – Save our souls
Start: 2026-10-22T09:00:00+02:00
End: 2027-04-04T17:00:00+02:00
Location: Diözesanmuseum Freising

Saved Masterpieces Between Destruction, Preservation, and Hope

The Diocesan Museum of Freising dedicates the exhibition S.O.S. – Save our souls to precious artworks from the Italian Marche. From October 20, 2026, to April 4, 2027, the exhibition leads into a region whose churches were destroyed by severe earthquakes in 2016 and 2017. Works recovered from the ruins, restored, and now presented to the public again tell stories of loss, cultural identity, and the power of preservation.

Art from the Ruins of the Italian Marche

The focus is on around 20 loans from Italian institutions. The selection ranges from late Gothic painting to the Renaissance and includes polyptychs as well as outstanding religious artworks. Works by Carlo Crivelli, Lorenzo Lotto, and other significant masters make visible how closely sacred art, local memory, and social belonging are connected.

Carlo Crivelli and the Splendor of the Polyptych

Carlo Crivelli's polyptych from Massa Fermana impresses with distinctly drawn character heads, ornamental details, and precious gilding techniques. In the viewing of the work, intense colors, linear precision, and a highly concentrated sacred imagery combine. The altar appears not only as a work of art but also as a testament to a religious community whose cultural center was threatened by catastrophe.

Lorenzo Lotto's Annunciation: A Moment of Inner Movement

Lorenzo Lotto's Annunciation to Mary from 1533 to 1535 ranks among the most compelling works of the exhibition. The psychological painting style of the Venetian artist makes Mary's shock immediately perceptible. Gesture, gaze direction, and spatial effect condense the biblical moment into an aesthetic experience of overwhelm, revelation, and human closeness.

Protection, Bonding, and Cultural Memory

A particular emphasis is placed on the imagery of protection and salvation. Pietro Alamanno's Madonna of the Cloak with Saints Genesius and Vincent Ferrer from 1485 illustrates the hopes of a society in the face of existential threats. The exhibition thus opens an art historical and simultaneously contemporary dialogue about why people salvage art under the most dangerous conditions and preserve it for future generations.

An Art Experience with Unusual Mediation

The exhibition includes an audio guide in the form of a podcast tour. In ten short conversations, Bert te Wildt, Chief physician of the Psychosomatic Clinic Kloster Dießen, examines the works from a psychotherapeutic perspective. Topics such as protection and bonding, suffering and guilt, beauty, meaning, and comfort complement the art historical context and promote a personal contemplation of the works.

Exhibition Atmosphere and Visiting Hours

The works unfold in the Diocesan Museum an intense exhibition atmosphere, where gilded surfaces, intense colors, fragile materials, and the stories of their rescue interact. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays, the opening hours are extended during the special exhibition until 8 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Conclusion: Art as a Lifeline

S.O.S. – Save our souls combines art historical quality with a moving story of destruction, restoration, and cultural responsibility. Visitors experience late Gothic and Renaissance masterpieces not as distant heritage but as living testimonies of human hope. This extraordinary art experience in the Diocesan Museum of Freising invites you to discover the exhibition live and delve into the question: We save art – does art save us?