The Cold Heart

The Kunstmuseum Stuttgart is presenting an exhibit at the Kunstgebäude on Schlossplatz that places Wilhelm Hauff's (1802–1827) fairy tale “The Cold Heart” in the context of contemporary art for the first time. 

The exhibition takes the fairy tale of the same name as its starting point to reflect on the relationship between identity and social status. Hauff depicts the consequences that industrialization and accelerating capitalism had on society at the beginning of the 19th century as an individual story of monetary greed and emotional isolation. The story, published in 1827, is an allegory of a changing world: existing moral concepts are being shaken, and fears of social decline take hold among the awakening material demands. 

By bringing together works of contemporary artists—including two new productions that deal explicitly with the text—the exhibition presents an updated reading of the fairy tale’s central leitmotifs identity, violence and healing, affect, as well as ecological exploi- tation against the backdrop of current events.