Inventing E.T.A. Hoffmann

Few writers have been as completely transformed by their reception as E.T.A. Hoffmann (*1776, †1822). For more than two hundred years, his works have been translated into new languages and cultures, his texts illustrated and adapted into a diversity of forms. Even today, his multifaceted oeuvre continues to inspire artists from all over the globe, who approach Hoffmann with particular love and creativity.

To mark the 250th anniversary of his birth, Inventing E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–2026) celebrates the imaginative energy of a global book culture that has shaped – and continues to shape – Hoffmann’s reception and reputation for almost a quarter of a millennium.

The exhibition presents unique illustrations and artists’ books, tells stories of exile and loss, and, with reference to Tomcat Murr, traces the origins of what we now call “cat content.”