AUSSTELLUNG: "Anna & Günter Grass - Die Pariser Jahre des Künstlerehepaars"

The successful exhibition "Anna & Günter Grass - The Paris Years of the Artist Couple" is entering its second round.

Following the highly acclaimed presentation at the Goethe-Institut Paris, the exhibition will now be on display at the Institut francais Bremen in May and June 2026. It is dedicated to Anna and Günter Grass' time together in Paris and sheds light on their artistic work as a couple between ballet, literature and lived collaboration. The exhibition in Paris, developed by the Günter Grass Foundation Bremen in cooperation with the Gruppe für Gestaltung, was a great success with the public and also received widespread media attention.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung emphasized that the presentation "does not aim to be a literary show, but rather uses images and texts to chronicle a love affair that was also a working relationship". The focus is deliberately on Anna as an independent artist, who was long overshadowed by her husband and is now taking center stage. Three narrative stations form the core of the exhibition: Life in Paris, Anna dances, Günter writes. On display are watercolors, drawings, graphics, photos and original documents. "Last but not least, the show scores with two- to six-minute videos that underlay lively montages of archive images with statements by the couple on topics such as 'The pencil connects' or 'Ballet - the restless art'," wrote the FAZ. Two additional chapters will be opened in Bremen, dealing with shipping and the sea as well as the literary quality of Anna Grass as a letter writer.

Supporting program:

On May 12, 2026, 6 p.m., the opening of the exhibition will take place in the presence of Anna Grass. The actress Helene Grass will read from Anna Grass' correspondence with Uwe Johnson.

May 13: Dance event in the Institute's music salon in the presence of Anna Grass.

May 21, 19:00: Screening of the literary adaptation "The Tin Drum" at the Institute:

Volker Schlöndorff | 1979 | In German with French subtitles | Duration: 2 hrs. 22 min | 8-/5 €

Welcome: Dr. Yvette Gerner, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, Günter Grass Foundation Bremen

Greeting: Anna Grass

Reading: Correspondence between Anna Grass and Uwe Johnson, Helene Grass, actress

Introduction to the exhibition: Horst Monsees, Günter Grass Foundation Bremen

Tour and reception

Institut francais Bremen | 12.5. - 17. 6. 2026 | Mon-Fri 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00

Special guided tours : Sat. 23.5. (12:00-16:00), Sat. 30.5. (10:00-15:00)