In 1986, Sigmar Polke was awarded the Golden Lion at the German Pavilion of the Venice Biennale for his series Athanor.
Thanks to the efforts of Dierk Stemmler, then director of the Museum Abteiberg and curator of the German Pavilion in 1968, the six Kunststoffsiegel-Bilder were acquired for the museum’s collection.
FÜHRUNGEN (in German)
June 7 / July 5 / August 2 / November 1, at 1:30 pm
SIGMAR POLKE’S Kunststoffsiegel-Bilder
Guided tour with Corinna Greven (
October 18, 11:30 am / 3:00 pm (European Day of Restoration)
HISTORY OF RESTORATION AND ART TECHNOLOGY
Guided tour with Christine Adolphs
November 15, 11:30 am
ALCHEMICAL EXPERIMENT – OUTCOME UNKNOWN
Guided tour with Corinna Greven
FORUM
November 7, 11:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
REFLECTIONS AND FLUIDITIES: On Material and Process Based on Polke’s Biennale Cycle
In short guided tours, performative interventions, and a panel discussion at the Museum Abteiberg on Saturday, November 7, 2026, it will examine Athanor and its continuations in contemporary artworks. With reference to Sigmar Polke’s artistic practice, the Museum Abteiberg becomes a place to explore the reflective and fluid aspects of materiality.
With contributions by Christine Adolphs (Museum Abteiberg), Kathrin Barutzki (Anna Polke Foundation), Gökcan Demirkazik (UCLA), Alex Grein (University of Mainz), Kassandra Nakas (Leuphana University Lüneburg), and artistic interventions by students from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.
ATHANOR NOW
01 Abb. Sigmar Polkes Athanor-Installation im Pavillon der Bundesrepublik Deutschland der XLII. Biennale di Venezia © The Estate of Sigmar Polke / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn | Foto © Giorgio Colombo, Mailand / Archiv der Anna Polke-Stiftung
02 Abb. Installationsansicht Sigmar Polke, 6-teiliger Zyklus für die Biennale Venedig 1986, Museum Abteiberg Mönchengladbach, © The Estate of Sigmar Polke, Cologne/ VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026 Foto: Achim Kukulies