Made in Germany? Art and Identity in a Global Nation

Discover an array of artworks that transcend borders and spotlight the complexities of modern German identity.

Made in Germany? Art and Identity in a Global Nation takes an unprecedented look at German art since 1980. Featuring artists from different generations and diverse backgrounds, the exhibition complicates notions of German identity, especially the idea of ethnic and cultural homogeneity. In fact, the country is second only to the United States as a destination for immigrants from around the world. The exhibition offers a range of reflections on German national identity, which was shaped by labor migration following World War II, the unification of East and West Germany in 1990, and the influx of asylum seekers to the country since 2015. As the pointedly interrogative title suggests, Made in Germany? asks, rather than offers ready answers to, the question of who or what represents Germany today.

Race, migration, labor, history, and memory are at the forefront of this inquiry into German identity. The works on view often focus attention not solely on racial, ethnic, or religious diversity, but on marginalized groups at the very edges of German society: recent refugees and asylum seekers as well as the aging, the economically disadvantaged, and the unhoused. The exhibition contributes to wide-ranging debates on diversity, nationalism, and social change in the face of migration and globalization; it frames discussions on racial violence, right-wing populism, and ethnically defined national identity—issues that are resonating not only in Germany but also in the United States today.

The artists featured in the exhibition span several generations, and their works—often made and remade over an extended period—address German history and identity through film, video, photography, painting, printmaking, drawing, collage, and installation. Women, East Germans, long-term residents, recent citizens, and individuals with a “migration background” are represented among the 23 artists in the exhibition: Nevin Aladağ, Sibylle Bergemann, Cana Bilir-Meier, Marc Brandenburg, Kota Ezawa, Isa Genzken, Hans Haacke, Candida Höfer, Yngve Holen, Henrike Naumann, Pınar Öğrenci, Hans-Christian Schink, Cornelia Schleime, Ngozi Schommers, Gundula Schulze Eldowy, Katharina Sieverding, Hito Steyerl, Gabriele Stötzer, Sung Tieu, Rosemarie Trockel, Corinne Wasmuht, Ulrich Wüst, and Želimir Žilnik.

Supplemented by key loans, the exhibition showcases works from the Busch-Reisinger Museum and, in particular, highlights recent acquisitions. Uniquely positioned as the only museum in North America devoted to the art of German-speaking Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day, the Busch-Reisinger Museum is one of three museums that comprise the Harvard Art Museums. Established at Harvard in 1903, the holdings continue to grow and expand to reflect the diversity of modern Germany.

An accompanying print catalogue, the first of its kind published in English, includes contributions from curators and scholars who examine the circumstances that have shaped notions of identity in modern-day Germany as well as the diverse artists who are challenging ideas of what it means to be “German.”

Curated by Lynette Roth, Daimler Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Peter Murphy, Stefan Engelhorn Curatorial Fellow in the Busch-Reisinger Museum (2022–25), with Bridget Hinz, Senior Curatorial Assistant for Special Exhibitions and Publications, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums.

The exhibition is made possible by the Daimler Curatorship of the Busch-Reisinger Museum Fund, the Carola B. Terwilliger Bequest, the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Care of the Busch-Reisinger Museum Collection Endowment. Additional support was provided by the Goethe-Institut Boston and the Dedalus Foundation. Related programming is supported by the Richard L. Menschel Endowment Fund and the M. Victor Leventritt Lecture Series Endowment Fund. Modern and contemporary art programs at the Harvard Art Museums are made possible in part by generous support from the Emily Rauh Pulitzer and Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., Fund for Modern and Contemporary Art.

Online Resources

Watch a range of conversations with artists, scholars, curators, and writers exploring the narratives around nation, race, gender, and identity in German art on the Busch-Reisinger’s Instagram and on YouTube.

Download the Bloomberg Connects app on your mobile device (it’s free!) and listen to exhibition curators, guest artists, and conservators give an audio tour of the Made in Germany? galleries.

A special Made in Germany? playlist featuring music from the 1980s to today is available on Spotify, extending the experience of the exhibition.

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