Double Cheese Platter: Centenary of the Collection. Twenty Years of the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart

In 1925, works from the City of Stuttgart art collection, then called the Städtische Gemäldesammlung (Municipal Painting Collection), were shown to the public for the first time in the Villa Berg. As the Galerie der Stadt Stuttgart (Stuttgart City Gallery), the collection was on display for many years in the Kunstgebäude, before finally moving in 2005 to a new building constructed especially for it at the Schlossplatz. 
To mark this double anniversary, the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart is presenting an exhibition featuring solely works from its own collection—including numerous acquisitions and donations from recent years. 
The exhibition was inspired by and takes its title from Dieter Roth’s monumental food picture “Doube Cheese Platter”. It consists of various types of cheese whose surface structure soon changed due to decomposition and mold processes. The work quickly grew—and matured. In his use of perishable materials, Roth’s piece poses programmatic questions about the production, reception, and momentum of art. This is precisely where the current exhibition has its point of departure: what does the municipal collection look like after a century? What sort of maturation processes does the collecting of art undergo? How does its perception and authority change over the years? 
Structured into seven thematic rooms that bear the individual signatures of the Kunstmuseum’s curators, the exhibition highlights both the historical context of the collection and its relevance to today’s real-life issues—such as consumerism and racism. The juxtaposition of works that have not been on view for a long time, if ever, with recent donations and new acquisitions, creates a fascinating display. 

OPENING WEEKEND
FR, March 8, 2025, 10 am – 6 pm
SA, March 9, 2025, 10 am – 6 pm