HAIR—Stories of Power and Passion

March 20 – October 4, 2026

Whether long, short, or shaved, curly or straight, hair is far more than a matter of style. It speaks of beauty and desire, of power and vulnerability, of conformity and rebellion. Hair is a potent form of expression—political, religious, cultural, and deeply personal. We use it to signal belonging, shape identity, and captivate others. The exhibition at Kunsthalle München invites visitors on a timulating, sensory, and surprising journey through three millennia of the art and cultural history of hair. Around 200 works, from antiquity to the present—including paintings, sculptures, photographs, video works, jewelry, furniture, design objects, and couture creations —reveal the power inherent in the seemingly everyday.

Hairstyles have always signaled status and belonging, from ancient Egypt to today’s self-representation. At the same time, hair shapes ideas of gender and social roles: it can affirm norms, subvert them, or, as in drag, deliberately exaggerate them. Countless stories attest to hair’s power—at times a source of strength and vitality, as with the biblical figure of Samson; at others, shimmering between seduction and menace, as with the mythical Medusa. Again and again, hair becomes a political statement as well: a marker of protest, identity, and self-determination—ultimately raising the question of who gets to decide over one’s own body. 

This sensuous and surprising journey through three millennia of art and cultural history of hair reveals the powerful impact of what might at first seem commonplace. 

In a revised format, the exhibition will be presented at the Augustinermuseum Freiburg from November 14, 2026, to April 18, 2027.

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Host or Publisher Kunsthalle München