News 03/20/2026

HAIR STORIES OF POWER AND PASSION Kunsthalle München 20.03.–04.10.2026

Whether short or long, sleek or wild—hair is far more than just a fashion detail. It reflects social norms, speaks to identity, desire, and self-determination, and has served for millennia as an expression of power, belonging, and rebellion.

With the exhibition HAIR STORIES OF POWER AND PASSION the Kunsthalle München explores this fascinating topic in a comprehensive, cross-cultural show. Around 200 works from antiquity to the present day offer diverse perspectives on the significance of head and body hair. On view are paintings, sculptures, photographs, video works, as well as design and fashion objects from renowned international collections such as the Prado, the Louvre, and the Rijksmuseum.

Hairstyles have always conveyed messages: they signify status, reflect social roles, or make deliberate statements. Hair can symbolize strength—as in the story of Samson—or oscillate between seduction and threat, as with the mythological Medusa. At the same time, it is a political means of expression that addresses questions of identity, protest, and bodily self-determination.

The exhibition invites visitors on a sensory journey through three millennia of art and cultural history and impressively demonstrates the power hidden in the seemingly mundane.

Opening hours of the Kunsthalle München

Daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.